T*  ¥   ¥  T~*  '         *A     "      i "    ' 

TH  E    LAN 


ACTON    DAV1ES     & 
CHARLES  Nl 


The  marine  band  orchestra  worked 
the  woodwind  and  brass  as  it  was 
parked  in  the  marble  foyer  as  the 
guests  arrived,  and  the  orchestra 
dispensed  music  as  the  waiters  dis- 
pensed, the  dishes  at  dinner.  Those 
who  did  not  wear  uniforms — gold 
epaulets  shimmered  on  the  shoulders 
of  the  naval  and  military  aides  of 
the  president — wore  tail  coats,  all 
except  Father  Edmund  Walsh  of 
Georgetown  university,  who  had  on 
his  clerical  garb  and  told  some  of 
his  experiences  from  the  Potomac 
to  the  Tigris,  on  which  he  lectured 
the  next  night  before  the  National 
Geographical  society.  Rev.  Harry 
E.  Fosdick  chatted  with  Secretary 
of  War  Hurley,  who  resembled  a 
movie  leading  man  more  than  a  se- 
date cabinet  member.  Mrs.  Livingston 
Farrand,  president  of  Dartmouth, 
bowed  to  Mrs.  Simon  Flexner,  wife 
of  the  well-known  doctor. 

a        a        * 

The  large  fireplace  in  the  blue 
room  was  filled  with  logs  which 
spluttered  and  threw  out  sparks,  and 
a  screen  protected  the  rugs  from 
having  holes  burned  in  them.  In  the 
east  room,  where  the  wife  of  Presi- 
dent Adams  once  hung  the  family 
wash,  were  placed  some  chairs  with 
carved  legs  covered  with  gilt — chairs 
which  have  not  been  used  since  the 
White  House  was  remodeled  in  the 
Roosevelt  administration.  Ferns,  pink 
roses  and  vines  were  scattered  around 
for  decorations,  but  did  not  conceal 
the  old-fashioned  sofa  with  its  curved 
gilded  legs,  matching  the  resurrected 
chairs.  No  one  sat  on  the  sofa  or 
chairs.  if  Jf  I 

Dolly  Madison,  the  peppiest  first 
lady  ever  to  occupy  the  White  House, 
left  a  gold  service  set  when  she  de- 
parted. This  was  polished  and  used 
at  the  dinner,  the  table  being  set 
in  U  or  horseshoe  form.  The  flat 
service,  used  to  supplement  what 
Dolly  left,  was  also  gold,  having 
been  given  a  gold  bath  during  the 
Harding  administration.  In  the  hol- 
low of  the  U  were  tall  ferns.  Scat- 
tered over  the  tablecloth  were  stream- 
ers of  stevia  and  snapdragons  and 
chrysanthemums — all  pink  in  color. 


.T 


OF  GALIF.  LIBRARY.  LO8 


MISS    ELSIE  FERGUSON 
AS  "DOLLY    TODD" 


1 


FIRST  LADY 
7/7  ztfe  LAND 

or 

WHEN  DOLLY  TODD 
TOOK   BOARDER/ 


ACTON   DAVIES 
CHARLES  NIRDLINGER 


H.K.FLY  COMIANY" 

PUBLISHERS 


COPYRIGHT,  1912.  BY 
THE   H.   K.   FLY   COMPANY 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I  Mr.  Jefferson  Plays  the  Fiddle,  Mrs. 
Todd  Routs  a  Foe  and  Beau  Pinckney 
Acquires  an  Ally I 

II  Lady  Washington  Writes  a  Note  and 
Mistress  Sparkle  Delivers  it  with  Spec- 
tacular Effect 15 

III  Young  Sophia  Sparkle  Whispers  Scandal 

and  Colonel  Burr's  Leg  Corroborates 

it 40 

IV  Colonel  Burr  Loses  the  Presidency  by  One 

Vote    and    Mr.     Madison     Meets     a 
Charming  Lady 50 

V  Mr.  Madison  Makes  a  Declaration  and 
Dolly  Todd  Declares  Her  Independ- 
ence    71 

VI     Mr.  Jefferson  Turns  Emissary  and  Dolly 

Todd  Learns  a  Deal  of  Politics 81 

VII  Mr.  Burr  Stays  Out  Late,  is  Duty  Re- 
proved, and  Hears  of  Dreams  and 
Things 1 02 

VIII  Colonel  Aaron  Burr  Pays  a  Debt  and  an 
Early  Morning  Call  on  Mr.  Alexander 
Hamilton 123 

21 29205 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

IX  Lady  Merry  Damns  Her  Hairdresser  and 
Holds  the  American  Republic  Respon- 
sible   133 

X  Dolly  Turns  to  Colonel  Burr  for  Good 
Advice  and  Clotilde,  Her  Maid,  Lets 
a  Most  Important  Cat  Out  of  the  Bag.  155 

XI     Colonel  Burr  Turns  Musician  and  Mrs. 

Todd  no  Longer  Takes  Boarders.  ...    168 

XII  Mrs.  Todd  Has  a  Lady  Caller  and  Mu- 
tual Confidences  are  Exchanged  in  "The 
Second  Floor  Front" 188 

XIII  Madam  Jumel  Plays  Trumps  and  Wins 

a   Friend 208 

XIV  Colonel  Burr  and  Mr.  Hamilton  Again 

Meet  in  the  Early  Morning 217 

XV     Mr.  Jefferson  Gives  a  Dinner  Party  but 

Loses  Two  of  His  Guests 231 

XVI  Colonel  Burr  Rides  Many  Leagues  to 
Ascertain  if  a  Certain  Widow  is  Still 
Unmarried 257 

XVII  Fate  Sets  the  Pace  and  Many  Old  Friends 
Dance  to  it  in  Divers  Ways  While  Mr. 
Jefferson  Plays  the  Fiddle 277 


3D1 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Miss  Elsie  Ferguson  as  Dolly  Todd Frontispiece 

PAGE 

"All  that  my  great  love  can  do  to  make  your  life 
happy  and  all  that  my  poor  gifts  can  do  to 
make  your  life  splendid — I  promise  abso- 
lutely"   78 

"For  my  sake,  for  all  our  sakes,  for  the  nation's 
sake,  I  want  you  to  be  "The  First  Lady  in 
the  Land" 91 

"We  may  have  both  been  rakes  in  our  day,  Burr, 
but  as  fathers,  by  gad!  Sir,  no  one  can  shake 
a  stick  at  us" 128 

"Well,  here's  an  end  to  Burr's  chances  for  ever 
and  aye.  What!  Me  marry  a  man  who 
sleeps  on  a  bed  as  hard  as  that?  Not  for 
all  the  Burrs  in  America" .  ,  216 


An  engraving  depicting  Jefferson  as  chairman 
of  the  committee  appointed  to  draft  the  Dec- 
laration of  Independence 


THE  FIRST    LADY  SN 


HE  LAND 


CHAPTER  I 


MR.  JEFFERSON  PLAYS  THE  FIDDLE,  MRS.  TODD 

ROUTS  A  FOE  AND  BEAU  PINCKNEY 

ACQUIRES  AN  ALLY 


How   doth  the  little  busy  bee 
Improve  each  shining  hour; 
And  gather  honey  all  the  day 
From  every  fragrant  flower ! 

— Old  English  Ballad. 


"He  is  a  little  chimney  and  heated  hot  in  a  moment" 

— LONGFELLOW — "Courtship   of  Miles  Standish." 


"The  General  so  likes  your  music  that  he  desires  you,  for  love's 
sake,  to  make  no  more  noise  with  it." 

—SHAKESPEARE — "Othello." 

IN  AN  attic  room  close  to  the  rafters  of  her  old- 
fashioned  house  on  Fourth  Street,-  Philadelphia, 
reclining  on  a  couch,  with  her  right  leg  carefully 
propped  up  upon  a  cushion  lay  Landlady  Dolly  Todd. 
It  was  long  past  noon  but  the  proprietress  of  the 
most    fashionable    boarding    house    in    Philadelphia 
showed  no  disposition  to  rise.    No  invalid,  far  from  it ! 


2         THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

She  was  looking  the  very  picture  of  health.  It  pleased 
her  for  the  moment  to  imagine  that  she  was  suffering 
from  a  badly  turned  ankle.  And  it  was  her  purpose 
to  nurture  the  strain. 

Two  sounds  came  home  to  the  ears  of  the  youthful 
Mrs.  Todd  in  her  attic  chamber.  And  it  would  be 
hard  to  say  which  pleased  her  least. 

One  was  the  growling  voice  of  Sir  Anthony  Merry, 
the  recently  arrived  English  Minister  who  was  lodging 
a  complaint  with  her  maid  downstairs;  the  other  was 
the  sound  of  a  violin,  execrably  played,  which  floated 
in  through  the  half  open  window  from  the  tavern 
next  door. 

"What's  the  matter  with  Sir  Anthony  now,  CIo- 
tilde?"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Todd  presently  when  her  young 
quadroon  maid  appeared  in  the  doorway.  "What  a 
fool  I  was  to  let  the  creature  in  my  house !  I'd  never 
have  done  it  if  he  hadn't  been  recommended  by  Mr. 
Burr — and  if  I  hadn't  needed  the  money!  What  did 
he  say  to  thee?" 

Clotilde  shrugged  her  shoulders  unconcernedly. 

"Oh!  It  was  the  same  old  row,  Madam.  Mr. 
Jefferson  and  hes  fiddle!  That  es  always  hes  cry!'* 

"Drat  the  man!"  cried  Mrs.  Todd.  "Can't  a  free 
American  citizen  fiddle  his  head  off  if  he  wants  to?  I 
admit  he  plays  like  the  Devil — true ! — but  I  ask  thee, 
Clotilde,  hasn't  the  man  got  a  right  to?  He  pays  his 
rent.  If  the  tavern  people  can  endure  it  surely  this  Eng- 
lishman ought  to  be  able  to  stand  it  at  longer  range. 
Where's  he  sitting?  In  the  parlor  I'll  be  bound!  And 
there  he'll  remain  anchored  for  the  rest  of  the  day. 
Well  I  warn  thee,  Clotilde,  we  must  get  him  out  even 


MR.  JEFFERSON  PLAYS  THE  FIDDLE       3 

if  we  have  to  use  gun-powder.  I'm  expecting  visitors, 
Clotilde.  Miss  Sally  McKean  first;  and  then  a  gentle- 
man, later  on.  Since  I  moved  up  here  to  make  room 
for  my  extra  lodgers  there's  not  a  spot  in  the  house  I 
can  call  my  own — saving  the  kitchen!  And  that  I'd 
have  to  share  with  the  cook!  Of  course  Miss  Sally, 
you  might  show  up  here ;  but  not  the  gentleman.  Oh, 
dear  no!"  She  threw  back  her  pretty  head  and 
laughed. 

"What  am  I  a  widow  for  if  I  don't  know  the  value 
of  first  appearances?  My  foot's  feeling  better  now, 
Clotilde.  Thee  may  go  to  the  second  floor  front  and 
borrow  Mr.  Burr's  gold-headed  cane.  'Twill  be  much 
more  becoming  than  a  crutch  and — if  worse  comes  to 
worst — I  can  use  it  on  Sir  Anthony." 

Dolly  laid  back  on  her  couch  and  laughed  again. 

"Wouldn't  thee  think,  though,  that,  on  a  day  like 
this,  with  the  town  in  a  ferment;  the  very  dogs  flocking 
to  the  Hall  of  Congress  for  the  latest  news,  the  man 
would  be  out  and  abroad  in  the  thick  of  it  all  like  the 
rest  of  his  sex — and  most  of  the  women!  Damme 
Clotilde,  if  I  wasn't  half  a  Quaker  I'd  curse  the  man! 
Did  thee  see  Mr.  Burr  this  morning?" 

"No,  Madam.  He  left  very  early.  He  did  not  even 
take  his  coffee.  He  told  me  'Nevair  mind'  he  was  go- 
ing to  breakfast  with  Madam  Jumel." 

"Humph!"  said  Dolly.  Nothing  more.  But  there 
was  a  world  of  contempt  in  that  one  exclamation. 

"That  will  do,  Clotilde.  Go  to  thy  duties  and  tell 
the  old  ogre  I'll  soon  be  down." 

Rising  presently,  she  dressed  herself  and  then  threw 
a  look  in  her  mirror. 


4         THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

She  was  very  young,  very  pretty  and  very  much  the 
widow,  which  her  demure,  tight-fitting  little  widow's 
cap  proclaimed.  In  spite  of  her  sprained  ankle,  Dolly 
Todd,  for  the  first  time  in  all  her  eleven  months  of 
widowhood,  was  thanking  God  she  was  alive! 

"And  to  think,  after  all  these  years,"  she  laughed  to 
herself,  as,  leaning  on  Mr.  Burr's  gold-headed  cane,  she 
took  a  longer  glance  in  the  glass — "that  I  should  meet 
the  man  by  a  slip  on  the  ice!  And  yet  dear  Mother 
was  always  warning  me  never  to  wear  French  heels! 
This  is  what's  come  to  thee,  Dolly  Todd,  for  not  tak- 
ing the  advice  of  thy  elders.  Well — who  knows? 
'Twas  the  tilt  of  Cleopatra's  nose  changed  all  the  career 
of  Caesar!  There's  no  telling  what  the  tilt  of  Dolly 
Todd's  ankle  may  do  for  the  destiny  of  Jimmie  Madi- 
son. I  wonder  what  Sally  will  say  to  it  all.  Shan't  tell 
her  I  know  who  he  was,  though!  That  would  spoil 
everything.  There's  nothing  like  a  mystery  to  keep 
a  woman  interested,"  she  remarked  to  herself  as  she 
slowly  made  her  way  down  stairs. 

Dolly,  while  cogitating  in  bed  that  morning,  had  ar- 
rived at  the  conclusion  that  she'd  been  a  Quaker  widow 
long  enough.  For  eleven  full  months  she  had  ob- 
served the  accepted  rights  of  widowhood  most  rigidly, 
both  as  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends  and  as  the 
land-lady  of  the  most  fashionable  boarding  house  in 
all  Philadelphia.  Dolly  felt  that  she  had  consistently 
done  her  duty.  Although  she  had  never  been  particu- 
larly in  love  with  young  John  Todd  and  had  married 
him  to  please  her  father  rather  than  herself,  widow- 
hood was  one  of  those  roles  which  Dolly  had  never 
asked  the  Fates  to  thrust  upon  her.  Still,  as  it  had 


MR.  JEFFERSON  PLAYS  THE  FIDDLE        5 

come  her  way,  she  had  accepted  the  situation  with  due 
philosophy,  observed  the  conventions  rigorously  and 
bought  as  many  fetching  mourning  frocks  as  her  in- 
come would  allow  and  which  could  be  worn  fittingly  by 
a  pretty  woman  of  twenty-two  who  happened  to  be 
boarding  house  keeper  and  aristocrat  at  the  same  time. 

As  Dolly  Todd  limped  her  way  into  the  big  parlor 
of  her  boarding  house  that  winter's  afternoon  her  eyes 
were  ashine,  her  cheeks  alight  and  there  was  an  air 
of  radiant  youth  and  gaiety  about  her  which  ill  became 
the  sombreness  of  her  widow's  garb  and  which  indi- 
cated before  all  else  that,  no  matter  how  dire  the  injury 
to  her  ankle  might  be,  she  had  no  intention  of  allowing 
it  to  interfere  with  her  good  temper.  Dolly  might  be 
slightly  lame  but  for  all  that  she  had  plans  afoot.  To 
carry  them  out  effectively  was  now  her  immediate  in- 
tention. By  Clotilde,  the  night  before,  she  had  dis- 
patched a  note  to  the  youthful  friend  of  her  bosom, 
Sally  McKean.  Dolly  had  worded  the  note  in  such  a 
manner  that  if  she  knew  anything  of  Sally  at  all — and 
she  assuredly  did  know  a  great  deal! — it  would  bring 
that  effusive  young  person  in  the  greatest  haste. 

Philadelphia,  at  this  moment  in  the  throes  of  a 
Presidential  election,  was  so  crowded  with  politicians, 
soldiers  and  gentry  that  Mrs.  Todd  perforce  had  been 
obliged  to  resign  her  own  apartment  in  order  to  accom- 
odate  those  New  York  grandees,  who,  since  Aaron 
Burr,  and  the  young  Marquis  de  Lafayette  had  given 
her  boarding  house  the  stamp  of  fashion,  vastly  pre- 
ferred to  stay  there  in  preference  to  any  of  the  public 
inns. 

Sir  Anthony,  once  dislodged  from  the  parlor,  that 


6         THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

any  one  else  would  interrupt  them  for  some  hours  at 
least  was  scarcely  likely.  The  whole  town  was  so 
wrought  up  on  the  political  crisis  that  it  was  fair  wager- 
ing all  the  world  and  his  wife  would  be  flocking  to  the 
Hall  of  Congress  that  afternoon.  She  would  have 
been  there  herself,  to  be  sure,  if  it  hadn't  been  for  that 
lame  ankle;  for  in  all  Philadelphia's  twenty  thousand 
inhabitants  there  was  no  woman  more  vitally  interested 
in  the  political  outcome  than  she.  If  Mr.  Thomas 
Jefferson  was  elected,  she,  Dolly  Todd,  would  be  one 
of  the  very  first  to  congratulate  him.  Was  he  not  one 
of  her  late  dear  mother's  first  and  most  devoted  school 
boy  sweethearts?  And  had  he  not,  all  through  the 
days  of  her  marriage,  and  of  her  widowhood,  singled 
her  out  by  his  expressions  of  sympathy  and  deep  es- 
teem? If  Thomas  Jefferson  was  defeated — well! — 
for  Dolly  at  least,  even  that  cloud  would  possess  its 
silver  lining.  The  defeat  of  Jefferson  would  mean 
that  Dolly's  "Second  Floor  Front"  would  be  the  next 
President  of  the  United  States.  Her  "Second  Floor 
Front,"  in  other  words,  was  Colonel  Aaron  Burr,  an 
old  friend  of  her  family's,  the  man  who,  by  his  resi- 
dence there  for  the  past  few  months  had  made  the 
boarding  house  a  shrine  of  fashion.  And — well,  not 
to  put  too  fine  a  point  upon  it ! — deep  down  in  her  heart, 
like  many  another  woman,  Dolly  Todd  had  a  very 
warm  spot  for  Aaron  Burr. 

As  Dolly  entered  the  parlor,  armed  smilingly  for  the 
fray,  she  found  Sir  Anthony,  comfortably  ensconced 
on  her  favorite  sofa,  a  bottle  of  good  old  port  beside 
him  on  a  table,  and  a  recently  arrived  London  news- 


MR.  JEFFERSON  PLAYS  THE  FIDDLE        7 

paper  in  his  hands.  Nothing  short  of  the  Sphinx  could 
have  looked  so  immovable. 

"You  sent  for  me,  Sir  Anthony?"  said  Dolly,  with 
her  sweetest  smile. 

Round  the  neck  of  her  sombre  Quaker  dress,  per- 
haps, as  an  indication  of  her  change  of  heart,  or  pos- 
sibly merely  as  a  harbinger  of  the  coming  Spring,  Dolly 
had  tied  a  gayly  colored  kerchief,  which  set  off  the 
pearly  pink  and  white  of  her  coloring  to  perfection. 
As  Sir  Anthony  turned  his  heavily  jowled  face  toward 
Mrs*.  Todd.  she,  with  a  woman's  instinct,  saw  that  the 
effect  of  this  first  little  dash  of  coloring  was  even  per- 
ceptible to  him. 

"He's  at  it  again,  next  door  there,"  exclaimed  Sir 
Anthony,  crustily.  "Don't  you  hear  it?  That  infernal 
fiddle  scraping." 

The  sound  of  a  violin  atrociously  played  was  dis- 
tinctly audible  in  the  room. 

"But,  my  dear  Sir  Anthony.  That's  Mr.  Thomas 
Jefferson  at  the  inn  next  door.  He's  merely  relieving 
his  pent  up  feelings.  Poor  man!  Thee'd  not  have 
me  disturb  him  on  a  day  like  this.  For  all  we  know 
he  may  be  our  next  President  'fore  night  fall.  Wait 
till  election's  over,  I  beg  thee,  Sir." 

"Election  ?"  grunted  Merry.  "What's  that  got  to  do 
with  it?" 

"Don't  you  understand,  Sir,"  exclaimed  Dolly.  "The 
poor  man's  nervous.  Let's  be  merciful !  He's  merely 
relieving  his  mind." 

"And  you  mean  to  tell  me,  Madam,  that  a  man  who 
fiddles  as  vilely  as  all  that,  may  become  the  next  Amer- 
ican President?" 


8         THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"It  may  be  our  folly,  Sir,"  said  Dolly,  with  a  slightly 
deprecating  air,  "but  'tis  the  custom  of  my  country  to 
choose  our  President  for  his  virtues — not  for  his  vir- 
tuosity." 

"Good  God!  What  a  country!"  grunted  Sir  An- 
thony, suddenly  sitting  down  again,  much  to  Dolly's 
despair. 

Just  at  that  moment  there  was  a  diversion.  Bollen 
Pinckney,  known  to  his  friends  as  "Beau,"  another  of 
Dolly's  boarders,  entered  the  room.  His  clothes  in 
cut  and  color  proclaimed  him  a  dandy  of  his  period, 
and  in  a  measure  his  speech,  constantly  interlined  with 
polite  French  oaths,  and  also  the  affectation  of  his 
manner  confirmed  that  impression.  But  Pinckney,  for 
all  that,  was  nobody's  fool.  No  one  knew  him  better 
than  Dolly  Todd.  She  liked  the  man,  because  she  read 
him  thoroughly  and  knew  that  beneath  all  these  out- 
ward signs  of  foppery  there  lay  strength,  loyalty  and 
a  subtlety  which  might  make  him  a  man  to  be  reckoned 
with  one  of  these  days.  At  this  moment,  no  one  short 
of  Sally  McKean  herself  could  have  been  more  wel.- 
come  to  her.  She  knew  by  instinct  he  would  help  her 
to  dislodge  this  turbulent  old  Britisher.  Pinckney  with- 
out waiting  for  an  introduction,  promptly  sprang  into 
the  breach. 

"Sir  Anthony  Merry,  I  believe,"  said  Pinckney,  ad- 
vancing with  his  most  elaborate  bow.  "My  name's 
Pinckney — a  fellow  lodger — formerly  attached  to  the 
Legation  at  Paris,  where  I  met  your  wife  and  charming 
sister-in-law." 

"Ah,  yes,"  said  Sir  Anthony.  "I've  heard  my  wife 
speak  of  you,  I  think — or  was  it  Ena?  Well,  never 


MR.  JEFFERSON  PLAYS  THE  FIDDLE        9 

mind!  They'll  be  here  in  a  few  days,  worse  luck! 
Poor  creatures!  How  are  they  going  to  stand  it? 
That's  one  of  the  reasons  why  I've  been  complaining 
to  Mrs.  Todd.  My  wife  would  never  put  up  with 
those  execrable  noises  next  door.  Tell  me " 

But  Dolly  interrupted  him.  Turning  to  Pinckney  she 
remarked. 

"I  was  just  explaining  to  Sir  Anthony  when  you 
came  in,  that  I  wrote  Mr.  Jefferson" on  this  matter  sev- 
eral days  ago.  He  was  charming, — wrote  such  a  sweet 
note  in  reply.  In  my  letter  I  told  him  he  played  so 
sweetly  on  the  violin  that  he  gave  one  of  my  lodgers 
so  severe  a  melancholia  he's  thinking  of  moving  else- 
where. Naturally  I  said  I'd  grieve  to  lose  so  charming 
a  patron " 

"Don't  misunderstand  me,  Madam,"  broke  in  Sir 
Anthony  in  a  more  conciliatory  key.  'Tis  only  on 
Lady  Merry's  account  I  complain.  She's  all  nerves. 
And  if  this  sort  of  thing  went  on  I — I — well,  really,  I 
don't  know " 

"No  fear,  Sir,"  laughed  Pinckney  gaily,  "Mr.  Jef- 
ferson knows  Mrs.  Todd.  He  will  deny  her  nothing." 

"But  tell  me,"  pursued  Sir  Anthony,  "You  were  in 
France  with  him  at  the  Legation.  Did  he  do  that  sort 
of  thing  in  Paris?  Frenchmen,  you  know,  have  very 
sensitive  ears." 

"Only  when  troubled  and  worried  as  he  is  now  by 
the  election,"  answered  Pinckney.  "But  if  'twill  please 
you,  Sir,  I  will  gladly  add  my  petition  to  Mrs.  Todd's. 
If  Mr.  Jefferson  knew  he  was  disturbing  an  English- 
man, I'm  sure  at  least  he'd  change  his  tune." 


io       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"That's  kind  of  you.  But  do  you  think  there's  any 
chance  of  immediate  relief?" 

"Tete  Dieu!  It's  impossible  to  tell  you,"  replied 
Pinckney,  throwing  up  his  hands.  "I'm  just  from  the 
Congress  and  they're  as  far  from*  a  decision  as  ever. 
They've  been  voting  the  night  through — always  the 
same  result  as  for  weeks  past.  Seven  States  for  Mr. 
Jefferson,  seven  for  Mr.  Burr  and  one,  New  Jersey, 
for  Mr.  Adams." 

"And  what  in  the  end,"  queried  Sir  Anthony,  "is 
this  thing  you  call  New  Jresey  going  to  do?  That 
seems  to  me  to  be  the  most  important  question." 

"As  for  that,  Sir,"  laughed  Pinckney,  "one  never 
can  tell.  New  Jersey  has  always  been  notorious  for 
doing  anything  it  likes.  Why  not  go  to  the  Congress 
and  see  for  yourself,  Sir.  I'm  sure  Mistress  Todd 
will  forgive  your  running  away.  The  experience  might 
increase  your  knowledge  of  our  customs.  May  I  have 
the  honor  of  fetching  your  coat  and  hat?" 

"Thank  you,"  said  Sir  Anthony,  "I  should  be  much 
obliged." 

Then  turning  to  Dolly  with  his  first  attempt  of 
gallantry  he  continued,  "May  I  have  the  pleasure  of 
your  company  to  the  Congress,  Ma'am.  I  understand 
there  is  promise  of  a  lively  debate?" 

"Thanks.  But  a  slight  lameness  keeps  me  indoors 
to-day,"  smiled  Dolly.  "Will  thee  be  having  friends 
to  dinner  to-night?" 

"No.  Not  to-night,  Ma'am.  To-night  I  dine  with 
Mr.  Alexander  Hamilton.  One  of  your  rising  solici- 
tors, I  believe.  We  have  heard  of  him  even  abroad." 

"Ah,  Sir  Anthony,"  said  Dolly,   "What  splendid 


MR.  JEFFERSON  PLAYS  THE  FIDDLE      n 

memories  you  English  have !  I  feel  sure  such  a  com- 
pliment will  not  be  lost  on  Mr.  Hamilton — if  thee 
should  choose  to  mention  it  to  him.  Like  my  friend, 
Mr.  Burr,  he's  rather  a  vain  man.  He  likes  to  be 
flattered.  Au  revoir,  Sir  Anthony.  A  very  pleasant 
afternoon  to  you!" 

As  the  English  minister  shuffled  on  his  gouty  way, 
Dolly  turned  to  Pinckney  and  shook  him  warmly  by 
the  hand. 

"You're  a  true  friend,  Beau.  I  shall  never  forget 
thy  service  of  to-day.  Without  thee  I  could  never  have 
dislodged  him  with  less  than  a  gun." 

"It's  nice  to  hear  you  say  that,  Dolly,"  he  replied, 
drawing  close  to  her.  "It  may  be  in  your  power  to 
grant  me  many  little  favors  sooner  than  you  think." 

"Thee  shall  have  them  for  the  asking,  my  dear  boy, 
if  its  possible.  But  what's  afoot?  How  can  Landlady 
Todd  serve  that  famous  gallant,  Mr.  Pinckney?" 

"They're  coming  here  within  a  day  or  two." 

"Thee  talks  in  fables.    Who  dost  thee  mean?" 

"Ena." 

"And  who,  pray,  is  Ena?  I  know  of  no  Ena.  Ex- 
plain thyself." 

"The  Honorable  Ena  Farrar  and  her  unamiable 
sister,  that  She  Dragon  Lady  Merry!  We've  been  in 
love  for  years — ever  since  Paris." 

"What!"  interrupted  Dolly,  "you  and  a  She  Dragon 
in  love!  Heaven  defend  me!"  And  she  rolled  both 
her  lovely  eyes  skyward. 

"No!  No!  Not  the  She  Dragon!"  exclaimed 
Pinckney,  dropping  all  his  mannerisms  and  becoming 
in  his  enthusiasm  quite  boyish.  "It's  Ena.  She's  a 


12       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

darling  girl.  You'll  love  her,  Dolly.  I  know  you'll  be 
fast  friends;  you'll  become  thicker  than  thieves.  The 
She  Dragon — Lady  Merry — loathes  me.  That's  where 
you  can  help  me.  You'll  have  to  throw  us  together  as 
much  as  possible.  You're  such  a  natural  born  diplomat 
you  can  do  it  easily." 

"A  woman  can  but  do  her  best,"  said  Dolly,  humbly. 
"That  I'll  try.  Especially  if  'twill  offend  the  She 
Dragon!  Tell  me  about  her.  She's  much  more  im- 
portant than  thy  love  affair.  Is  she  so  plain  spoken 
as  they  say?" 

"Plain  spoken!  Tete  Dieu!"  cried  Pinckney,  hark- 
ing back  to  his  French  airs  again.  "She's  the  Devil's 
Bride.  She's  the  Witch  of  Endor.  She's  a  Fiend  In- 
carnate!" 

"Pinckney,  my  boy!"  expostulated  Dolly,  raising  her 
hand,  "I  fear  me  thee  don't  do  her  full  justice." 

"Well,  justice  or  no  justice,"  he  replied,  "she  raises 
the  Devil  so  persistently  that  until  this  mission  they 
have  always  sent  Merry  to  countries  where  she  couldn't 
speak  the  language.  'Tis  the  only  way  to  keep  her 
tongue  tied  and  prevent  an  immediate  war.  You'll 
have  your  hands  full  with  her,  Dolly,  I  warrant  you!" 

"And  they're  such  little  hands!"  laughed  the  Widow 
Todd.  "And  I  need  them  so  much  now  that  I've  gone 
lame  of  one  foot!  Give  me  thy  prayers,  Pinckney. 
They  may  help  me  to  withstand  this  latest  British  in- 
vasion. You're  a  nice  boy  and  I  owe  thee  a  debt  this 
day,  so  in  return  for  thy  prayers  I'll  help  thee  with  thy 
Ena.  'Tis  a  pretty  name  -and  sounds  almost  Irish — 
like  the  better  half  of  me." 

"Thank  you,  Dolly,  and  God  bless  you !    Au  revoir ! " 


MR.  JEFFERSON  PLAYS  THE  FIDDLE      13 

Glancing  at  the  clock  in  the  corner,  Dolly  saw  that 
it  was  already  past  three  o'clock.  She  called  Clo- 
tilde  and  inquired  if  she  had  surely  carried  the  note  to 
Miss  McKean.  The  sofa  was  empty  now  and  the  fair 
Dolly  felt  communicative. 

"Oh,  yes,  Madam,  she  is  coming,"  answered  Clo- 
tilde,  "but  she  had  to  stop  at  the  Wax  Works.  She  said 
she  might  be  late." 

"Give  me  the  bills,  then.  Are  they  all  receipted? 
Who  dines  at  home  to-night?  Does  Mr.  Burr?" 

"Oh,  no,  Madam.  He  is  to  dine  to-night  again  at 
Madam  Jumel's." 

"How  dost  thee  know  that?"  asked  Dolly,  rather 
sharply. 

"At  the  market.  I  see  Marie,  Madam.  She  tell 
me!" 

"Marie!    Who's  Marie,  pray?" 

"Marie!  Why  you  know,  Madam — Marie,  my  sis- 
ter. She  is  still  the  maid  of  the  French  lady.  She  told 
me  about  Monsieur  Burr." 

"Thee  doesn't  mean  to  say  that  thy  sister  is  still 
with  the  Jumel  woman!  Why,  she  went  there  ten 
weeks  ago  and  as  a  rule  they  say  she  can't  keep  a  ser- 
vant a  fortnight." 

"And  Marie — she  say  about  Madam,"  broke  forth 
Clotilde  anew, 

"Marie's  a  chatterbox,"  snapped  Dolly. 

"Oui,  Madam.     But  only  with  me — her  sister." 

"Well,  as  long  as  thee  don't  confide  in  thy  sister, 
I  have  nothing  to  say.  I  wish  to  hear  none  of  her 
gossip,  though." 

"Very  well,  Madam.     I  will  remember." 


i4       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

Dolly  walked  to  the  sofa  and  throwing  herself  down 
began  gazing  into  the  fire. 

"To-day  of  all  days !  When  he  knows  I'm  anxious. 
When  he  knows  I'm  praying  my  heart  out  for  him  to 
win — when  he  knows  I'm  so  upset  on  his  account  that 
I  don't  know  whether  I'm  standing  on  my  head,  my 
lame  leg  or  my  well  one !  Seems  to  me  he  might  have 
dined  at  home  to-night." 

Then  remembering  something  she  jumped  up,  looked 
at  the  clock  again  and  exclaimed: 

"Ah  I  .  But  I'd  forgotten.  He's  got  to  be  home  at 
four.  He  promised.  Ronnie  Burr  never  broke  a 
promise.  At  four  he  was  to  bring  my  friend  to  me 
and  introduce  him  properly.  I'll  forgive  him  his 
dinner  'cause  I  know  he'll  keep  his  word.  Clotilde ! 
My  hand  glass  and  my  rouge,  please.  It's  going  to  be 
a  busy  day." 


CHAPTER  II 

LADY  WASHINGTON  WRITES  A  NOTE  AND  MISTRESS 

SPARKLE  DELIVERS  IT  WITH  SPECTACULAR 

EFFECT 


Thou  wqulds't  be  loved?— then  let  thy  heart 

From  its  present  pathway  part  not ! 
Being  everything  which  now  thou  art, 

Be  nothing  which  thou  art  not. 
So  with  the  world  thy  gentle  ways, 

Thy  grace,  thy  more  than  beauty, 
Shall  be  an  endless  theme  of  praise, 

And  love — a  simple  duty! 

— EDGAR  ALLAN  POE. 


"In  our  course  through  life  we  shall  meet  the  people  who  are 
coming  to  meet  us  from  many  strange  places  and  by  many  strange 
roads ;  and  what  it  is  set  to  us  to  do  to  them,  and  what  it  is  set 
to  them  to  do  to  us,  will  all  be  done." 

— DICKENS — "Little  Dorrit." 

£  £  •  "V  ON'T  scold  me  now !    I  know  I'm  late — hor- 

?,    j      ribly  late,  my  dear.     When  you've  heard 

all  you'll  excuse  me.     Everybody  would 

stop  me  to  say  'How-de-do.'    Then,  of  course,  if  they 

were  women,  I  had  to  show  it  to  'em.    'Couldn't  resist 

it  my  dear!    It's  the  joke  of  the  year.    Such  a  lark  and 

so  fine  and  shocking  too !    I  left  Ma  and  old  Mrs.  Chew 

laughing  their  heads  off  over  it — when  they  thought  I 

wasn't  looking!    Before  me,  of  course,  they  pretended 

15 


1 6       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

they  were  shocked  to  death.  Mrs.  Chew  was  for  writ- 
ing to  the  Mayor  about  it.  Aren't  old  ladies  funny, 
Dolly?  Wonder  if  you  and  I'll  be  like  that,  dear,  when 
we  have  wrinkles  and  a  Paisley  shawl." 

It  was  Sally  McKean,  dressed  in  the  height  of  that 
season's  fashion  and  bringing  with  her  into  Dolly's 
room  a  fragrant  whiff  of  the  cold  winter's  day.  The 
prettiest  girl  in  Philadelphia — a  girl  whose  high  spir- 
its had  as  much  if  not  more  of  the  devil  in  them  than 
Dolly's  own.  She  threw  her  fur  boa  to  one  side; 
tossed  her  huge  muff  on  the  table  and  then,  crooking  one 
foot  under  her  in  that  favorite  fashion  which  has  pre- 
vailed among  women  since  Eve's  first  upholsterer  in- 
vented a  comfortable  settee,  she  turned  to  Dolly  burst- 
ing with  her  news. 

Dolly,  who  had  several  scraps  of  information  to 
impart  herself,  was  slightly  taken  aback. 

"Laws!  Sally!"  she  exclaimed.  "Never  saw  you  so 
excited  in  my  life !  Must  be  something  quite  indecent 
to  put  thee  in  such  a  flutter.  What's  afoot?  Something 
shocking  I  suppose?" 

"Yes  it  is,  dear!  That's  just  it.  That's  what  makes 
it  so  delightful !  Some  of  the  old  dowagers  have  been 
rendered  speechless  by  it.  As  for  Ma  and  Mrs.  Chew 
— well!  I  told  you  about  them" 

Then,  drawing  a  long  breath  and  assuming  a  still 
more  mysterious  manner,  she  went  on. 

"By  sundown,  'twill  be  priceless!  Lacave,  my  hair- 
dresser, tells  me  that  already  a  copy  of  it  can't  be 
bought  for  love  or  money.  Such  a  joke  on  all  the 
City  Troop  boys — on  all  the  gallants  for  that  matter! 


LADY  WASHINGTON  WRITES  A  NOTE     17 

Wait  'till  the  papers  get  hold  of  it,  my  dear.  Won't 
they  raise  a  merry  fuss!" 

"But  laws  girl!"  broke  in  Dolly.  "For  the  love  of 
Heaven  get  on  with  thy  story!" 

"Well,"  again  she  drew  a  long  breath  and  from  the 
reticule  which  hung  about  her  waist  she  drew  a  card 
of  invitation. 

"I  must  explain  first,"  she  went  on  carefully  con- 
cealing the  printed  side  of  the  card.  "As  you  know, 
of  course,  the  Assemblies,  under  the  new  management, 
are  to  be  held  at  Oeller's  Tavern.  There's  a  glorious 
ball  room — sixty  feet  square,  my  dear — and  a  musi- 
cians' gallery;  the  walls  papered  after  the  French  taste 
with  Pantheon  figures  painted  on  the  panels.  Of  course 
you'll  be  invited  Dolly  but  you  won't  get  your  invita- 
tion to-day,  nor  to-morrow  probably  either.  You  see 
your's  would  come  under  the  'T's.'  Yesterday  the 
secretary  who  issued  the  invitations  only  got  as  far  as 
the  'M's.'  Thank  Heavens !  that  included  us,  'cause 
now,  of  course,  all  the  invitations  are  being  called  in." 

"Why?  What's  that  for?"  asked  Dolly,  thoroughly 
interested. 

"That's  what  I'm  coming  to.  Give  me  time!  Ma 
got  her  card  at  the  breakfast  table.  My  dear,  she 
nearly  choked!  Then  Mrs.  Chew  came  running  over 
from  across  the  way.  She  was  purple !  She  said  it 
was  rage,  but  I  know  better, — 'twas  laughter.  The 
minute  Ma  saw  the  card  Mrs.  Chew  carried  in  her  hand 
she  looked  at  her  with  great  significance  and  imme- 
diately sent  me  upstairs  to  get  her  knitting.  They  shut 
the  door  but  that  didn't  prevent  me  from  hearing  them. 
I  never  heard  Ma  laugh  so  in  my  life.  When  I  got 


1 8       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

back  the  cards  had  disappeared !  But  I  know  the  place 
where  Ma  always  hides  things.  The  moment  she 
started  to  market  I  ran  to  her  secret  drawer !  There  it 
was,  sure  enough!  And  here  it  is,  my  dear!" 

She  handed  Dolly  the  card  which  ran  as  follows: 

REGULATIONS  FOR  THE  ASSEMBLIES 

I — The  Managers  have  the  entire  direction. 

2 — The  Ladies  rank  in  sets  and  draw  for  places  as  they 
enter  the  room.  The  Managers  have  power  to  place 
strangers  and  brides  at  the  head  of  the  Dances. 

3 — The  Ladies  who  lead  call  the   Dances  alternately. 

4 — No  Lady  to  dance  out  of  her  set,  without  leave  of 
a  Manager. 

5 — No  Lady  to  quit  her  place  in  the  Dance,  or  alter  the 
figure. 

6 — No  person  to  interrupt  the  view  of  the  Dance. 

7 — The  rooms  to  be  opened  at  six  o'clock  every  Thurs- 
day evening  during  the  season.  The  Dancers  to 
commence  at  seven  and  end  at  twelve  precisely. 

8 — Each  set  having  danced  a  Country-Dance,  a  Cotil- 
lion may  be  called  if  at  the  desire  of  eight  Ladies. 

9 — No  Strangers  admittable  without  a  Ticket  signed  by 

one  of  the  Managers,  previously  obtained. 
10 — No  Gentleman  admittable  in  Boots,  Colored  Stock- 
ings, or  Undressed. 

"Don't  worry  reading  all  the  first  part!"  cried  Sally 
impatiently.  "The  joke's  in  the  last  line !  I've  under- 
lined it  so  you  can't  miss  it." 

"Faugh!"  cried  Dolly  after  she'd  laughed  her  fill. 
"That's  funny  enough  but  not  half  as  interesting  as 
what  I've  to  tell  thee." 

"Clotilde,"  she  cried  as  the  maid  passed  down  the 
hall.  "Don't  forget  if  any  strangers  should  call,  I'm 
not  at  home." 

"But  for  rooms,  Madam?"  questioned  Clotilde, 
"If  some  one  inquires  shall  I  not  show  them  ze  second 
floor  front.  'Tis  your  best  room,  Madam.  We  ought 


not  to  have  it  empty.    And  Monsieur  Burr" — she  gave 
a  little  sigh — "he  will  be  leaving  us  very  soon." 

"Don't  bother  about  Mr.  Burr  or  his  room,"  said 
Dolly  sharply.  "He  won't  be  leaving  'till  they've 
chosen  a  President." 

"Ah!  Oui,  Madam,"  persisted  Clotilde.  "But  the 
election — it  close  to-day.  To-day  for  sure,  Madam. 
Madam  Jumel  she  says  so  herself.  And  then  she  say 
to  my  sister  Marie,  that  Monsieur  Burr,  eef  he  don't 
be  elected,  he  start  at  once  for  Jericho." 

"Jericho!"  laughed  Dolly,  more  goodnaturedly, 
"Laws!  Where's  that?" 

"She  means  Mexico,  my  dear,"  explained  Sally  Mc- 
Kean.  "That  bee  has  been  buzzing  in  Ronnie  Burr's 
head  for  ages.  'Twill  be  the  undoing  of  him  yet, 
Father  says. 

"Run  along,  Clotilde,"  repeated  Dolly,  "and  re- 
member once  for  all  I  forbid  thee  ever  to  mention 
Madam  Jumel's  name  in  my  house  again.  I'll  have 
no  tale  bearing  between  her  house  and  mine.  I  don't 
know  the  woman  and  I'll  have  naught  to  do  with  her. 
Remember  that!" 

"Bien  oui,  Madam,  I  will  remember." 

"What's  happened,  Dolly,"  questioned  Sally,  as  Clo- 
tilde finally  disappeared,  "you're  all  aflutter.  What's 
afoot  with  you?" 

"Well,  my  dear,"  broke  out  Dolly,  breathlessly, 
"can't  keep  the  facts  to  myself  any  longer.  I've  been 
looking  at  a  gentleman." 

Sally  threw  up  her  hands  to  express  her  shocked 
condition. 

"Hussy!"  she  cried.    "But  such  a  thing  has  occurred 


20       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

before.  Remember,  I  have  known  you  for  quite  ten 
years,  Dolly.  Surely  the  mere  revival  of  such  an  old 
custom  was  not  the  real  reason  why  you  sent  for  me." 

She  had  risen  as  she  spoke  and  stood  looking  down 
at  Dolly  from  her  full  height  in  front  of  the  fire.  Her 
hands  were  clasped  behind  her  back  and  of  a  sudden 
something  judicial,  almost  Portia-like,  had  come  into 
her  attitude. 

"Tell  me  the  truth,  my  dear.  Bare  your  bosom.  I 
would  hear  thy  secret!" 

"Truth  is,  Sally,  I've  been  found  out." 

"Ah!  Ah!  That  sounds  more  interesting!  Now 
I'll  sit  down  again." 

She  did  not  return  to  the  sofa,  but  seated  herself  by 
the  little  tea  table  directly  opposite  Dolly,  where  she 
could  look  her  friend  more  squarely  in  the  eye.  When 
the  gods  made  Sally  McKean  a  woman,  a  great  cross- 
examiner  was  lost  to  the  world! 

"Who  found  you  out?" 

"I  myself,"  answered  Dolly.  "I  blush  to  own — and 
the  gentleman,  too!" 

"Blushed?" 

"No.     Found  me  out.    Discovered  my  immodesty." 

"No  gentleman  would  say  so." 

" 'Twasn't  what  he  said,  my  dear:  'twas  what  he 
'did!" 

"Ruffian!"  said  Sally,  with  mock  horror. 

"Now  I'll  tell  thee  just  how  it  happened " 

"Perhaps  I'd  better  be  going,"  said  Sally,  suddenly 
picking  up  her  muff.  "Remember,  Dolly,  I'm  an  un- 
married woman,"  she  laughed,  "and  a  whole  year 


LADY  WASHINGTON  WRITES  A  NOTE     21 

younger  than  yourself.  Some  old  wives'  tales  are  not 
yet  for  me !  Besides,  I'm  due  at  the  Wax  Works." 

"Don't  tease,"  said  Dolly,  seizing  Sally's  hand. 
"  'Tis  well  worth  listening  to.  And  I  must  tell  some 
one.  My  dear!  the  fellow — had — me — in — his — 
arms." 

"Not  really!" 

"Well,  quite  enough  to  take  notice." 

Sally  had  dropped  her  muff  and  was  back  on  the 
sofa  beside  her  friend.  In  all  Philadelphia  there  was 
no  dowager,  not  even  that  notorious  gossip  Mistress 
Sparkle,  who  so  dearly  loved  a  bit  of  scandal  or  a  soup- 
con  of  romance. 

"Where!     Where!"  she  queried  eagerly. 

"On  the  pavement.  In  full  public — my  dear,"  and 
Dolly's  tones  took  on  an  added  importance.  "My  dear, 
he  picked  me  up." 

"You  mean?" 

By  this  time  Sally's  boa  was  off  again.  Dolly's 
growing  embarrassment  showed  her  clearly  that  a  con- 
fession was  coming  which  would  be  worth  listening  to. 
As  far  as  Sally  was  concerned,  for  an  hour  at  least,  the 
Wax  Works  must  wait. 

"Now,  I  don't  expect  thee  to  believe  this,  Sally," 
Dolly  began,  "  'tis  just  the  sort  of  a  tale  a  lady  always 
relates  to  explain  some  agreeable  disaster.  I'd  been 
to  Meeting  House  for  Wednesday  prayer.  Since  my 
widowhood,  as  thee  knows,  I  have  been  most  pious. 
When  I  came  away  'twas  snowing  to  blind  me.  I  chose 
my  steps  most  carefully  but,  what  with  the  wind  and 
these  abominable  high  French  heels,  of  course,  I  had 
to.  Well,  all  went  right  and  without  mishap  until  I 


22       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

turned  into  Chestnut  street.  Just  where  I'd  cross — 
there  by  the  Hall  of  Congress — a  horseman  loomed 
in  front.  I  drew  back  in  a  panic,  my  heel  slipped  and 
— well,  thank  Heaven  I  had  on  my  best  stockings!" 

She  lifted  her  Quaker  skirt  a  foot  or  so,  disclosing 
in  most  symmetrical  encasement  as  pretty  a  pair  of 
white  silk  stockings  as  had  ever  been  smuggled  out  of 
Paris. 

"You  mean  to  say  you  wore  those?  To  prayer  meet- 
ing?" cried  Sally,  incredulous,  and  yet  admiringly. 

"Always — on  a  windy  day.  Well,  to  continue! 
When  I  came  to, — I'm  quite  sure  I  must  have  lost  con- 
sciousness for  a  moment! — when  I  came  to,  I  dis- 
tinctly felt  an  arm  about  my  waist.  Oh,  I  felt  it,  I 
assure  thee !  'Twas  a  manly  arm  and  so  strong!  Then 
I  saw  some  one  lean  over  me.  I  was  fully  conscious 
by  that  time.  Some  one  leaned  over,  his  face  so  close 
to  mine  that  I  saw  the  color  of  his  eyes.  They  were 
blue — a  beautiful  blue!" 

A  pensive  look  came  into  the  fair  narrator's  face. 
She  paused,  as  though  she  would  feign  linger  over  this 
reminiscence.  But  Sally  brought  her  back  to  the  mo- 
ment. 

"Yes,"  she  cried,  ruthlessly,  "go  on.    I'm  listening." 

"In  a  flash  I  realized  'twas  some  one  I  had  seen 
before.  He  helped  me  to  my  feet.  He " 

"But  his  arm!  His  arm!"  quizzed  Sally,  now  all 
excitement.  "Was  it  still  about  you?" 

"Well,  that  is  one  thing  which  I  can't  recall.  I  have 
tried  to,  earnestly,  many  times  since.  But  I  was  so 
flustered!  'Twas  so  long  since  I'd  been  in  such  a  posi- 


LADY  WASHINGTON  WRITES  A  NOTE     23 

don  and  then,  of  course,  not  knowing  the  man !  You 
can  understand " 

"Ah,  certainly,"  responded  Sally,  with  a  nod  of  per- 
fect comprehension.  "But  tell  me!  Was  he  a  pretty 
fellow?" 

Dolly  Todd,  before  answering,  clasped  her  hands 
ecstatically.  Her  whole  face  was  alight. 

"Pretty!  Laws!  pretty,  Sally,  is  not  at  all  the  word 
for  him.  He  was  too  strong  for  that,  too  manly,  too 
forceful  and  yet  so  tender!  He  wasn't  pretty  at  all. 
How  I  loathe  that  word!  He  was  beautiful;  that's 
what  he  was — as  beautiful  as  a  young  French  abbe — 
on  a  fan." 

"How  splendid!'  cried  Sally,  huddling  herself  up  in 
a  heap,  as  young  women  will  when  intensely  interested. 
"And  you,  dear?  No  wonder  you  were  flustered! 
Then  what  did  he  do?  What  did  you  say?  Who  saw 
you?  You  can't  tell  me,  my  dear,  that  all  this  hap- 
pened on  Chestnut  street  at  that.hour  and  nobody  look- 
ing on?" 

"As  to  that  I  am  still  oblivious,"  answered  Dolly.  "I 
can't  remember.  I'm  still  wondering.  Even  what  I 
said  to  him  I  hardly  know.  I  scarce  had  wit  enough  to 
thank  him.  1  remember  asking  him  to  set  me  on  my 
feet  again;  to  release  me;  but  it  was  all  so  swift,  so 
sudden — and  yet  so  delightful  that  I  scarce  know.  But 
I  did  try  to  dismiss  him.  Of  that  I  assure  thee.  I 
thanked  him  as  politely  as  any  lady  should.  I  told  him 
that  I  could  get  along  very  nicely.  I  bade  him  let  me  go 
my  way.  But  he  wouldn't.  He  simply  insisted  that 
I  couldn't  walk  alone.  'Twould  be  a  crime!  he  said: 
a  cruelty  to  beauty  in  distress  if  he  let  go  of  me.  'Twas 


24       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

the  grip  of  a  grizzly  bear  he  had,  and  yet  the  tender- 
ness of  a  fawn.  I  was  embarrassed,  of  course.  Par- 
ticularly when  he  spoke  again.  What  do  thee  sup- 
pose he  said?  He  turned,  still  holding  me,  and  looking 
me  fairly  in  the  eyes,  told  me  almost  sternly  that  it  was 
impossible  for  me  to  walk  alone  because  I  had  injured 
my  ankle.  And  he  actually  said  the  word,  too,  ankle!" 

"Jamais!"  cried  Sally  incredulously  once  more. 

"Oh,  yes  he  did,  dear — right  out  loud — he  said 
ankle!" 

"The  libertine!"  laughed  Sally. 

"Though  I  insisted  I  was  not  hurt  at  all,"  continued 
Dolly,  "after  releasing  me,  most  reluctantly,  he  made 
me  take  his  arm.  He  brought  me  to  the  door.  Crowds 
saw  us — and  think  of  it ! — I — he  didn't  even  tell  me  his 
name.  By  this  time  all  Philadelphia  must  know  the 
scandal." 

"Was  he  forward?" 

"Bless  thee,  no.  A  first  rate  gentleman  in  every 
sense — for  all  he  did  squeeze  my  hand." 

"Yes,  that's  all  very  well,  my  dear,"  said  Sally,  with 
a  look  of  knowledge,  "but  there  are  many  first  rate 
gentlemen  who,  given  the  chance " 

"Ah!  But  not  this  one.  He  was* divine,  my  dear. 
No  Greek  god  could  have  shown  better  deportment  or 
worn  more  becoming  clothes.  Such  manners!  And 
such  diction,  too!  Though  we  scarcely  spoke  a  word 
all  the  way  I  realized  that  he  had  a  most  beautiful 
voice — so  low,  so  soft,  so  gentle!"  She  paused  a  mo- 
ment, and  looked  Sally  in  the  eye.  "Dost  thee  know, 
dear,  that  until  he  spoke  my  name  I  never  realized 
what  a  pretty  name  Todd  is." 


LADY  WASHINGTON  WRITES  A  NOTE     25 

"Then  he  knew  your  name,"  cried  Sally,  in  surprise. 
"That  makes  it  more  interesting." 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  Dolly.  "He  knew  I  was  Dolly 
Todd.  Also  that  I  had  been  freshly  widowed.  But 
he  spoke  of  it  all  so  beautifully  that,  Faith !  since  I  first 
wore  weeds  I  have  never  felt  so  consoled  before." 

"But  who  is  he?  What's  his  name?  Is  he  rich  man, 
poor  man,  beggar  man  or  thief?" 

"Can't  tell  thee,  dear,"  said  Dolly.  "Those  are  the 
very  things  I've  asked  myself  a  hundred  times.  I  don't 
know." 

"Did  he  volunteer  no  information?" 

"Now,  that  would  have  been  forward!  He  was  far 
too  well  bred  for  that." 

"And  you  mean  to  say  you  didn't  ask  him  his  name?" 

"Certainly  not,"  said  Dolly,  with  some  asperity. 
"Even  a  widow,  Sally,  can  be  maidenly." 

"Well,  my  dear,  all  I  have  to  say  is,"  responded 
Sally,  "If  a  man  had  me  in  his  arms — even  it  if  was 
only  en  passant — he  would  have  to  answer  some  ques- 
tions. I  certainly  should  want  to  know  his  name  and 
who  he  was,  even  if  I  didn't  care  a  rap  as  to  his  morals. 
And  if,  as  you  fear,  all  the  town  knows  all  about  it, 
why  in  Heaven's  name,  shouldn't  you?" 

"The  very  reason  why  I  shouldn't,"  cried  Dolly, 
argumentatively.  "My  ignorance  is  my  sole  excuse. 
As  matters  stand  it  was  an  accident,  liable  to  happen 
to  any  lady — with  flighty  French  heels.  But  one  step 
further  and  it  would  have  become  an  adventure.  What- 
ever else  they  say  of  me  they  must  admit  I've  always 
kept  my  improprieties  within  bounds.  And  thee  must 


26       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

insist  on  that  on  my  behalf,  Sally,  when  all  the  gossip- 
mongers  assail  me." 

"There's  naught  to  fear  as  far  as  I  can  see,"  said 
Sally,  rising  and  adjusting  her  furs  again.  She  was  a 
little  disappointed  at  the  tame  ending  of  Dolly's  ad- 
venture. However,  like  a  true  woman  of  fashion  she 
masked  her  feelings,  kissed  her  friend  enthusiastically 
and  started  for  the  door.  But  Dolly  Todd  was  in  no 
mind  to  release  her  as  yet.  Long  before  Sally  reached 
the  door  Dolly  had  anticipated  her  and  was  drawing 
her  by  slow  degrees  back  to  the  fireplace. 

"What  does  thee  mean  by  nothing  to  fear?"  she 
asked  with  some  fire.  "Why,  with  Congress  sitting 
the  town's  a  very  hot  bed  of  scandal.  And  simply  be- 
cause I  am  young  and  a  widow  that's  no  reason  why  I 
should  escape.  Let  your  foot  slip  ever  so  little — even 
as  mine  did,  for  instance — and  your  character  hasn't 
one  leg  to  stand  on." 

There  was  a  loud  knock  at  the  outer  door  and  Sally, 
snatching  up  her  muff  once  more,  made  a  fresh  start 
to  go. 

"Thee's  not  going  yet,  dear.  I  haven't  half  told 
thee,"  cried  Dolly. 

"Oh,  but  I  must.  I've  promised  to  visit  the  Wax 
Works  with  the  Marquis.  That's  most  likely  he  at  the 
door  come  to  fetch  me." 

"Bring  him  in,  then,  by  all  means,"  cried  the  ever 
hospitable  Dolly.  "If  you  must  marry  a  Spaniard,  I 
surely  should  like  to  look  him  over.  But,  tell  me,  is 
it  settled  yet?" 

"Well,"  hesitated  Sally,  "that's  rather  hard  to  say. 
It  is  in  a  way  and  yet  it  really  isn't." 


LADY  WASHINGTON  WRITES  A  NOTE     27 

As  she  spoke,  with  the  toe  of  her  pretty  little  boot 
she  was  tracing  out  a  pattern  on  the  carpet  and  keep- 
ing her  eyes  upon  it  as  though  afraid  of  meeting 
Dolly's. 

"Dost  thee  mean  to  say  that  he  takes  his  time?" 
asked  Dolly  abruptly. 

"Not  he:  'tis  Father." 

"Your  Father!  But,  why?  What  has  he  to  do  with 
it,  except  to  give  his  consent?" 

"Well,  this  is  the  way  of  it,  if  you  must  know.  All 
this  mystery  and  postponement  and  philandering  has 
something  to  do  with  your  'second  floor  front.'  ' 

"Colonel  Burr,  you  mean?"  asked  Dolly,  rather 
startled. 

"Colonel  Burr,"  corroborated  Sally,  with  an  em- 
phatic nod.  'A.  Burr,'  as  he's  fond  of  calling  himself! 
Ronnie,  as  you  love  to  call  him!" 

"Yes,  admitting  all  that:  But  how's  Ronnie  Burr 
mixed  up  in  thy  love  affair?  Heaven  knows  he's  a 
busy  man  and  a  heart  breaker.  All  the  world  knows 
that!  but  between  thee  and  the  young  Marquis  D'Yrujo 
I  can't  see  how  this  other  man  figures." 

"Simply  in  this  way.  I  know  little  about  politics, 
but  this  I  do  know,"  said  Sally  seriously.  "Burr  is  a 
plotter,  a  great  schemer.  You  know  that  as  well  as  I. 
His  vaulting  ambition  would  jump  over  the  moon  itself 
if  he  had  his  way.  I  haven't  heard  Father  and  Mr. 
Alexander  Hamilton  talking  about  him  for  nothing! 
Burr  has  a  pet  and  secret  scheme.  It's  a  mania  with 
him.  He  means  to  wrest  Mexico  from  D'Yrujo's 
King.  You  know  the  nature  of  the  man  well  enough — 


28       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

how  relentless,  how  implacable — in  pursuing  some 
scheme  on  which  he  has  set  his  heart." 

"But  still,  I  don't  see  where  thee  and  D'Yrujo  come 
into  Ronnie  Burr's  buzzing  bonnet.  How  crazy  his 
schemes  are  none  knows  better  than  I,  and  as  thee 
knows  when  I'm  with  him — that  is  when  he  is  near 
me  I — well  I'm  very  fond  of  him !  Between  ourselves, — 
I  wish  it  were  otherwise.  But  it's  so;  it  really  is.  Still 
that's  also  neither  here  nor  there !  I  still  ask  what  has 
Ronnie  Burr  to  do  with  thee  and  D'Yrujo?" 

"If  Burr  accomplishes  his  design,"  answered  Sally, 
making  her  explanation  more  emphatic  by  tapping  off 
the  points  of  the  situation  with  the  forefinger  of  one 
hand  on  all  the  fingers  of  the  other.  "If  he  actually 
succeeds  in  capturing  Mexico  from  the  King  of  Spain, 
I  shall  remain  a  spinster  as  far  as  the  Marquis  is 
concerned.  If  the  Marquis  isn't  clever  enough  to 
thwart  Mr.  Burr's  design,  the  Marquis  is  going  to 
lose  his  appointment.  If  he  loses  his  appointment 
Father  would  send  him  running  in  short  order." 

"But,  my  dear,  it's  not  a  billet  you're  going  to  marry 
I  hope ;  it's  a  Marquis.  And  anyway,"  continued  Dolly, 
by  way  of  administering  consolation,  "Take  it  from  me, 
my  dear!  Ronnie  Burr  has  no  intention  of  going  to 
Mexico.  The  country's  too  far  from  Madam  Jumel." 

There  was  a  little  shade  of  bitterness  in  the  way 
Dolly  Todd  made  this  remark  which  did  not  escape 
Sally's  perception. 

"Madam  Jumel  indeed!"  cried  Sally,  suddenly  fir- 
ing up.  "What  a  foe',  you  are,  Dolly  Todd !  'Tis  you 
he's  after!  Not  that  bedizened  French  woman.  Why, 
my  dear  girl,  I  know  from  many  sources  that  he  cares 


LADY  WASHINGTON  WRITES  A  NOTE     29 

more  for  your  little  finger  than  he  does  for  her  whole 
French  carcass.  She's  witty,  I  own,  and  there's  no 
gain-saying  that,  politically,  she  is  up  to  her  eyes  in 
foreign  affairs.  But  she's  not  our  kind,  Dolly,  from 
all  they  say;  you  know  that  as  well  as  I  do.  As  far  as 
I'm  concerned  I  wish  it  were  all  true.  I  would  dance 
gladly  at  their  nuptials  if  I  heard  that  Ronnie  Burr  had 
married  the  French  hussy  to-morrow." 

Dolly's  face  flushed  for  a  moment,  and  then  paled. 

"Why  do  you  say  that,  Sally — and  with  so  much  en- 
thusiasm?" 

"On  your  account,  Dolly,  darling,"  answered  Sally, 
kissing  her.  "Because  I  love  you.  Because  you're  the 
dearest  woman  alive  and  I'd  fight  for  you  to  my  last 
breath,  and  after.  Even  if  I  were  dead,  Dolly,  I  think 
I  could  come  and  scratch  the  eyes  out  of  any  creature 
who  maligned  you.  That's  why  I'd  like  to  see  him 
married  to  the  Jumel  jade.  He's  a  fascinating  devil. 
I  love  him  like  all  the  rest  of  us.  But" — drawing  Dolly 
close  to  her — "I'm  thinking  of  you,  dear.  He's  dan- 
gerous, believe  me.  Your  Ronnie  Burr  is  a  dangerous 
man." 

"Dangerous !"  cried  Dolly,  throwing  her  hands  aloft 
in  her  usual  manner,  when  surprised.  ''Dangerous,  eh? 
My  eye  and  Betty  Martin!  How's  Ronnie  Burr  dan- 
gerous to  me,  pray?  He's  never  betrayed  a  friend. 
He's  never  abused  a  foe  nor  harmed  a  good  woman. 
I  would  have  thee  tell  me  how  a  man  as  honest  as  that 
can  be  dangerous  to  me.  As  a  lodger,  he's  ideal.  Pays 
his  bills  the  second  they're  due — sometimes  beforehand. 
As  a  man  he's  as  moral  as  the  law  allows — no  more! 
perhaps  a  little  less — as  a  friend,  well — as  a  friend, 


30       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

the  very  best  I  have  with  the  sole  exception  of  yourself 
— He's  Ronnie  Burr,  that's  all  in  a  word !  He  has  ene- 
mies, of  course;  and  he's  frequently  tactless.  Men  like 
Hamilton  love  to  attack  and  malign  him.  But  I  know 
the  real  man,  my  dear.  Take  it  from  me,  I  know  the 
man." 

"But  good  Lord!  Dolly,"  cried  Sally,  "Think  of  the 
man's  reputation!  It's  something  scandalous;  and  all 
quite  true — at  least  so  they  say!" 

"His  reputation!"  repeated  Dolly,  scornfully.  "But 
he  has  so  many  of  'em!  Think  of  his  record  as  a 
soldier,  Sally.  A  lad  of  twenty-four  in  the  American 
army  who  had  won  his  way  to  a  colonelcy.  Remember 
what  he  did  at  Quebec,  on  the  Heights  of  Abraham, — 
he,  a  mere  lad,  carrying  the  dead  body  of  that  giant 
General  Montgomery  out  from  under  the  enemy's 
breast  works  into  his  own  camp.  Then  as  an  aide  to 
General  Washington  himself — and  later  still  his  great 
fame  as  a  lawyer!  'A.  Burr'  the  only  legal  foe  of  Al- 
exander Hamilton,  who  loathes  him  with  his  whole 
heart  and  never  loses  an  opportunity  of  showing  it. 
Oh,  yes,  I  know  Ronnie  Burr's  reputations,  Sally, — and 
all  the  many  sides  of  'em !  As  for  his  record  as  a  heart 
breaker,  well,  it  seems  to  me  that  should  prove  warn- 
ing enough  for  any  woman  who  isn't  courting  trouble. 
Take  it  from  me,  Sally,  these  so-called  dangerous  men 
would  not  be  half  so  dangerous  if  so  many  of  us  women 
didn't  try  to  find  out  the  reason  why." 

There  was  another  loud  knock  at  the  door  and  Clo- 
tilde  announced  Mistress  Sparkle  and  Miss  Sophia. 

"Good  Lord!"  cried  Sally,  "That  dreadful  old  hen! 
Now  I  will  really  leave  you." 


LADY  WASHINGTON  WRITES  A  NOTE     31 

"Sally,  as  thee  love  me!  Stay.  You  must,  my  dear, 
to  save  thy  own  reputation." 

Suddenly  Sophia  Sparkle,  just  sweet  fifteen  and  ap- 
propriately dressed  for  the  role  by  an  artistic  mother, 
burst  into  the  room.  Pretty,  and  with  a  roguish,  mys- 
terious look  in  her  eyes,  she  .kissed  both  women  timid- 
ly, explaining: — 

"I  ran  ahead  to  put  you  on  your  guard,  Mrs.  Todd. 
Something's  amiss !  Storm  signals  are  up !  Look  out 
for  Ma!" 

"There!"  said  Dolly,  turning  to  Sally,  "I  told  thee. 
Thee  mustn't  leave  me  now.  Let  the  Wax  Works  and 
the  Marquis  attend  to  themselves!  Quick,  child!"  she 
added,  turning  to  Sophia,  "What  is  it?" 

"Something  in  a  letter  which  came  by  this  morn- 
ing's post."  But  she  could  say  no  further.  At  that  in- 
stant her  mother,  Mistress  Sparkle,  attended  by  her 
footman  who  carried  a  huge  velvet  handbag,  swept 
into  the  room.  Mistress  Sparkle  was  fat  and  laced 
to  the  point  of  cruelty.  Richly  gowned  in  green  velvet 
and  littered  with  every  accessory  and  impedimenta  of 
fashion,  she  represented  not  only  her  vastly  hif:h  esti- 
mate of  her  own  importance,  but  really  looked  the 
grand  dame  which  she  was.  Both  the  younger  women 
curtesied  to  the  floor  and  then,  as  with  one  gesture  she 
imperiously  waved  the  footman  to  the  hall,  with  an- 
other she  acknowledged  the  salute.  To  Sally,  she 
turned  a  rather  malignant  eye  and  greeted  her  with  a 
frigid  "How-d'ye  do." 

"That  for  you !"  said  Sally  to  herself  mentally  snap- 
ping her  fingers  and  promptly,  much  to  Mistress  Spar- 
kle's rage,  sat  down. 


32       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

Turning  to  Dolly  the  elder  woman  remarked  point- 
edly: 

"I  thought  to  find  you  disengaged,  quite  by  your- 
self, my  dear  Dolly." 

"Just  going,  Ma'am,"  said  Sally,  almost  routed,  and 
she  reached  for  her  furs. 

But  Dolly,  who  would  brook  no  desertion,  snatched 
the  muff  and  boa  from  her  and  held  them  in  her  arms. 
Metaphorically,  she  was  stripping  for  action  and  had 
no  intention  of  allowing  the  malicious  old  woman  to 
draw  first  blood. 

"I  have  no  secrets  from  Sally,  as  thee  know,  Mistress 
Sparkle,"  said  Dolly,  with  deliberation  in  her  tones.  "I 
am  sure  that  there  is  nothing  which  thee  would  have  the 
right  to  say  to  me  which  I  should  not  be  delighted  for 
her  to  hear." 

"The  morning's  post,  my  dear,"  began  Mrs.  Spar- 
kle in  a  tone  which  indicated  that  she  could  not  have 
felt  her  importance  more  keenly  if  she  were  delivering 
to  Dolly  her  death  warrant,  "the  morning's  post 
brought  me  a  most  interesting  letter." 

She  paused  as  it  were  to  let  the  full  impression  of 
her  news  sink  in  upon  her  auditors,  then  groped  leis- 
urely in  the  labyrinthine  recesses  of  her  reticule.  She 
brought  forth  a  formidable  looking  letter  bearing  a 
conspicuous  seal. 

At  sight  of  it  Dolly's  legs  almost  gave  way,  for  she 
thought  she  guessed  what  was  coming.  But  she  man- 
aged to  whisper  to  Sally  while  she  squeezed  her  hand: 

"Laws!  Stay  by  me.     Don't  leave  me  now!" 

"A  most  interesting  and  delicate  communication," 
resumed  the  dowager,  as  she  held  the  letter  conspicu- 


LADY  WASHINGTON  WRITES  A  NOTE     33 

ously  aloft.     "Which  concerns  you,  Dolly.     It  comes 
from  Mount  Vernon." 

"Oh,  thank  Heaven!"  said  Dolly  inside  her  soul. 
She  cast  one  flash  of  relief  at  Sally,  who  was  also 
breathing  easier,  and  then  turning  her  sweetest  smile 
on  Mistress  Sparkle,  Dolly  cried: 

"From  Lady  Washington?  How  sweet  of  her  to 
think  of  me  !  How  is  the  dear  lady?" 

"Lady  Washington  is  in  her  usual  excellent  health, 
which  is  as  good  as  any  widow's  should  presume  to  be." 

"Ah!"  laughed  Dolly,  "Be  kind  to  us  poor  widows 
Ma'am.  Remember  you're  one  yourself!" 

Mistress  Sparkle  opened  the  letter  and  then  resumed 
in  a  still  more  impressive  and  sepulchral  tone: 

"She  sends  you  expressions  of  her  distinguished  re- 
gard and  affection  and  writes  me  to  inform  you  that 
she  wholly  disapproves  your  present  mode  of  life." 

"Laws!"  cried  Dolly,  "What  have  I  done?  What 
am  I  doing?  What's  the  matter  with  me?  Have  I 
the  plague,  Ma'am  ?  Or  which  of  my  morals  is  it  that's 
fallen  out?  I  pray  thee  tell  me  that  I  may  adjust  my- 
self and  once  more  become  a  la  mode." 

"Read  for  yourself,  young  woman,"  snapped  Mis- 
tress Sparkle,  and  she  handed  Dolly  the  letter. 
i     As  Dolly  withdrew  to  the  window  seat  to  read  it  at 
her  leisure  the  old  dowager  promptly  turned  her  guns 
on  Sally. 

"Well,  Sally,  I  hear  you're  going  to  marry  D'Yrujo, 
the  Spanish  Minister?" 

"He  hasn't  asked  me  yet,  Ma'am,"  answered  Sally, 
casting  down  her  eyes. 

"He  will,  though — if  I  know  your  Mother!     Best 


34       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

catch  of  the  season,  though  a  great  fool!  I'd  have 
liked  him  for  my  Sophia,  but  that's  out  of  the  question 
now.  I  have  more  than  half  promised  her  to  the 
French  envoy  Monsieur  Pichon." 

"Why,  but,  Ma'am,  she's  not  fifteen  yet,"  protested 
Sally. 

"What's  that  to  do  with  it?"  cried  the  dowager,  de- 
cisively. "At  Sophia's  age  I  was  married  and  had  ex- 
pectations. What's  he  asking — the  Marquis?" 

"What  do  you  mean  by  'asking'  Ma'am,"  said  Sally, 
who  had  no  intention  of  seeing  through  a  stone  wall 
until  she  was  compelled  to. 

"Nonsense !  You  know  what  I'm  driving  at  perfectly 
well,"  snapped  Mistress  Sparkle.  "The  dowry — 
what's  he  ask?" 

"Nothing,  Ma'am,"  said  Sally,  as  though  to  clinch 
the  matter. 

"Nothing!  Humph!  Fancy  that,  now!  How  un- 
easy your  people  must  be !"  Then  turning  suddenly  on 
Dolly  who  was  still  reading  she  inquired,  "Well, 
Ma'am?  What  have  you  to  say  for  yourself  now?" 

Dolly  raised  her  eyes  from  the  letter  and  fixed  them 
on  Mistress  Sparkle's  face.  She  spoke  slowly  but  with 
a  great  deal  of  seriousness.  Her  tone  was  almost  omi- 
nous as  she  said: 

"Thee  knows  me  well.  Thee  would  not  have  me  say 
it." 

"What!  Are  you  not  honored  by  the  communica- 
tion? Let  the  girls  hear!  I've  no  doubt  they'll  ap- 
preciate the  letter  better  than  you." 

Dolly  rose  and  came  toward  them  reading  aloud: 

"While  no  accident  of  fortune  could  affect  in  the 


LADY  WASHINGTON  WRITES  A  NOTE    35 

least  degree  the  high  regard  and  deep  affection  in  which 
I  hold  Mrs.  Todd  nor  lessen  in  the  least  the  timely  ap- 
preciation of  her  excellent  qualities  both  of  mind  and 
heart,  yet  I  cannot  regard  with  indifference  her  present 
device  of  maintaining  herself  by  the  entertainment  of 
strangers  be  they  of  ever  so  high  a  quality,  for  a 
stated  weekly  emolument " 

Dolly  paused  and  without  smiling  turned  to  Mistress 
Sparkle. 

"This,  I  take  it,  is  Mrs.  Washington's  polite  Chris- 
tian expression  for  a  boarding  house." 

"  'Tis  so  I  take  her  meaning,"  said  Mistress  Sparkle, 
as  though  putting  her  foot  down  hard. 

"But  I  fail  to  see  the  error  of  my  way,"  said  Dolly, 
calmly.  "I  do  now  only  as  my  dear  Mother  did  in 
her  days  of  stress." 

"Ah !  But  that  was  your  Father's  fault.  You  can 
blame  him  for  that." 

"Blame  him  for  what,  pray,"  cried  Dolly,  growing 
intolerant  of  the  argument.  "Because  Fortune  deserted 
him?" 

"Deserted  him.  What  poppycock!"  exclaimed  the 
dowager  indignantly.  "Why,  he  turned  her  out.  He 
literally  drove  Fortune  off  his  estate  when  he  freed  his 
slaves,  the  finest  herd  of  blacks  in  the  Old  Dominion." 

"My  Father,"  answered  Dolly  proudly,  "held  no 
honest  man  could  keep  slaves  after  the  Declaration  of 
Independence." 

"Mr.  Washington  kept  his"  cried  Mistress  Sparkle, 
in  a  tone  which  was  meant  to  end  the  argument. 

"Yes,  that's  true,"  returned  Dolly,  "and  as  for  that, 


36       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

Ma'am,  Thomas  Jefferson  keeps  his — and  he  wrote 
The  Thing." 

"I'm  surprised  at  you,  Dolly  Todd — you  who  should 
be  flattered,  instead  of  annoyed!  Now  that  your  sister 
Lucy  has  married  their  nephew  Steptoe  Washington, 
they  make  you  one  of  the  family  as  it  were.  You 
should  be  honored  instead  of  incensed." 

"Perhaps  I  am,  perhaps  not,"  asnwered  Dolly.  "But 
whether  or  not,  their  favors  do  not  pay  my  landlord. 
The  Washingtons  might  make  me  the  toast  of  the  town, 
but  that  doesn't  put  a  crust  of  bread  in  my  mouth. 
There  is  no  one  more  faithful  to  friends,  both  old  and 
new,  than  Dolly  Todd — if  I  say  it  myself!  'Benefits 
forgot'  is  a  phrase  which  can  never  honestly  be  thrown 
at  me.  But  friendship  is  one  thing.  Finance  is  an- 
other. Like  a  proud,  and  I  hope,  a  wise  woman,  I 
strive  to  keep  the  two  apart.  Stripped  of  all  verbiage, 
my  crime  in  Mrs.  Washington's  eyes  lies  in  the  fact 
that  I'm  an  honest  woman  who  pays  her  debts  and 
earns  her  living!" 

"Why  not  move  to  a  smaller  house,  my  dear?"  sug- 
gested Mistress  Sparkle,  beginning  to  trim  sail  as  she 
noticed  Dolly's  rising  temper.  "Why  should  a  young 
woman  of  your  years  insist  on  maintaining  such  a 
mansion?" 

"Faith,  when  one  begins  that  one  keeps  on  moving 
to  houses  smaller  and  still  smaller.  IV  no  mind  to  be 
squeezed  to  death  in  the  walls  of  a  hut  while  there's 
money  for  the  earning." 

"Then  in  that  case  why  not  go  and  live  with  your 
sister  Lucy?" 


LADY  WASHINGTON  WRITES  A  NOTE     37 

"What!  As  a  poor  relation!  No,  thank  thee, 
Ma'am.  Not  for  worlds!  'Tis  the  first  step  towards 
the  Old  Ladies'  Home." 

It  was  too  much  for  Mrs.  Sparkle,  this  last  sally. 
The  rage  of  her  was  fierce  to  see  as  puffing  like  a 
grampus  she  exclaimed: 

"I'm  ashamed  of  you,  Dolly  Todd!  This  is  not  the 
spirit  of  your  sainted  father  John  Payne,  the  Quaker." 

"No,"  cried  Dolly  with  enthusiasm  as  she  threw  her 
words,  spoken  in  her  broadest  brogue,  straight  at  Mis- 
tress Sparkle:  "No!  Thank  God!  'Tis  the  spirit  of 
my  Irish  mother  that's  speaking — Mary  Coles  of  En- 
niscorty  on  the  River  Slancy,  County  Wexford — Heav- 
en rest  her  soul !  And  look  thee,  Mistress  Sparkle,  for 
all  thy  manners  and  fine  words,  if  I  didn't  take  board- 
ers I  should  have  to  turn  boarder  myself.  And  even 
the  approval  of  the  best  society  including  yourself  and 
the  Continental  Congress  wouldn't  pay  me  for  that!" 

"Such  manners!"  cried  Mistress  Sparkle,  rolling  her 
eyes  heavenward  and  crossing  her  hands  across  her 
capacious  bosom.  "And  your  temper,  too,  Ma'am! 
'Tis  beyond  endurance!" 

"My  manners  are  my  own,  Ma'am,"  cried  Dolly, 
more  quietly.  "I  have  to  invent  them  to  meet  certain 
strange  occasions  of  which  I  regret  to  say,  this  is  one. 
As  for  my  temper,  Ma'am" — she  was  positively  sweet 
now — sweet  and  smiling  as  a  burst  of  sunshine  after 
rain.  "  'Twas  my  dear  Mother's.  'Twill  be  with  me 
always — unlike  my  Father's  slaves!" 

"Your  brogue  proclaims  that!"  cried  Mistress  Spar- 
kle as  she  prepared  to  make  an  honorable  retreat. 


38       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

Dolly,  her  temper  quite  expended,  now  was  very  close 
to  tears. 

"Thy  pardon,  Ma'am.  I  had  no  right  to  speak  so 
curtly  to  a  guest  of  mine  and  to  an  old  friend  of  my 
Father's.  But  'tis  hardly  to  be  borne  with  patience, 
such  a  charge  as  this!  A  woman  left  alone,  after  scarce 
a  year  of  marriage  with  just  enough  estate  to  pay  the 
debts  and  then  rebuked — in  the  kindliest  spirit  to  be 
sure! — for  wanting  to  keep  a  decent  roof  over  her 
head  and  a  decent  frock  on  her  bones." 

"Then  why  not  marry,  my  dear?"  Mistress  Sparkle, 
following  Dolly's  lead,  was  now  also  assuming  a  melt- 
ing mood. 

"Marry!  Me  marry?  Thee  would  recommend 
that  ?  And  me  not  one  year  a  widow ! " 

"My  dear  child,"  said  the  dowager  sagely,  "a  widow 
isn't  a  cask  of  wine.  She  need  not  wait  for  age." 

"But  shouldn't  she  wait  for  love,  Ma'am?" 

"Now  you're  indelicate,  Dolly — positively  indeli- 
cate !  A  young  girl  marries  because  she's  in  love — or 
thinks  she  is!  A  widow  should  marry  to  keep  out  of 
it." 

At  that  instant  Clotilde  rushed  in  all  of  a  flutter. 

A  page  from  the  Congress  awaits  Madam,"  she  ex- 
claimed to  Dolly,  "Monsieur  Burr  invites  Madam 
Todd  to  come  to  the  gallery  most  immediately.  'Tis 
very  important,  Madam,  says  the  page." 

"Mrs.  Todd's  compliments  to  Colonel  Burr,"  said 
Dolly,  formally,  "but  she's  with  company  at  present 
and  cannot  come." 

"Oui,  Madam!"  acquiesced  Clotilde,  as  she  whisked 
herself  away.  But  the  mention  of  Burr's  name  had 


39 

been  too  much  for  Mistress  Sparkle.     She  sank  into 
an  arm  chair  breathing  heavily. 

"My  snuff,  Sophia — quickly,"  then  as  she  drew  a 
longer  breath  she  gasped  quite  audibly,  "If  Martha 
Washington  could  have  heard  that!" 


CHAPTER  III 

YOUNG  SOPHIA  SPARKLE  WHISPERS  SCANDAL  AND 
COLONEL  BURR'S  LEG  CORROBORATES  IT. 

He  is  gracious,  if  he  be  observed: 

He  hath  a  tear  for  pity,  and  a  hand 

Open  as  day  for  melting  charity : 

Yet  notwithstanding,  being  incensed,  he's  flint, 

As  humourous  as  winter,  and  as  sudden 

As  flaws  congealed  in  the  spring  of  day. 

— SHAKESPEARE — "King  Henry  IV" 

OPHIA!"  cried  Mistress  Sparkle  in  thunder- 
ing  tones,  a  few  moments  after  Col.  Burr's 
message  had  come  to  Dolly,   "Sophia,  my 
dear,  leave  the  room!" 

Sophia  and  Sally  were  holding  a  quiet  chatter  in 

half  whispers  by  the  fireplace  and  this  ultimatum  from 

her  mother  grieved  and  exasperated  the  child  sorely. 

"Oh,  Ma!     Please  don't.     I  know  all  about  him 

any  way,  so  you  needn't  send  me  out." 

"Know  all  about  whom,  child?    What  are  you  talk- 
ing about?"  snapped  her  mother. 

"About  Col.  Burr,  Ma.     It's  he  that  you're  going 

to  talk  about.     That's  why  you're  sending  me  away." 

"And  may  I  be  permitted  to  ask,"  said  her  mother, 

all  abristle  with  indignant  curiosity  which  even  her 

anger  could  not  hide.    "What  is  it  that  you  know  about 

40 


SOPHIA  SPARKLE  WHISPERS  SCANDAL     41 

this  Monster  in  Human  Form.  Heavens  above! 
What  on  earth  are  we  coming  to  when  a  child  of  your 
age  speaks  in  such  familiar  terms  of  so  opprobrious  a 
man?  Out  with  it,  Sophia!  and  no  prevarications 
please.  What  do  you  know  about  him?" 

"Only  what  they  say  at  school,  Ma,"  said  Sophia 
tremblingly,  and  yet  with  a  certain  bravado. 

Back  of  all  the  chagrin  caused  by  the  banishment 
which  she  now  saw  was  sure  to  come,  there  was  too, 
even  in  her  humiliation  before  her  elders,  a  certain 
glory  in  being  made  a  martyr  for  her  championship  of 
the  great  Aaron  Burr.  So  Sophia  tossed  her  pretty 
tousled  head,  felt  as  she  was  quite  sure  Joan  of  Arc 
must  have  felt  on  the  eve  of  her  auto-de-fee  and  gazed 
at  her  mother  with  almost  as  much  fire  in  her  eyes  as 
once  surrounded  the  hapless  Joan. 

"And  what," — this  in  a  biting  tone  which  caused 
Sally  and  Dolly  a  vast  amount  of  internal  laughter, — 
"if  I  may  ask  again  do  they  say  at  your  school  about 
this  Person." 

For  an  instant  Sophia  hesitated:  then  she  parried. 

"Now  please  don't  blame  me  for  what  I'm  going  to 
say,  Ma.  Remember  you  asked!  And  all  of  this 
wouldn't  have  happened  at  all  if  you  hadn't  insisted  on 
sending  me  out  of  the  room  just  when  things  were 
getting  interesting." 

"Go  on,  Sophia,"  cried  her  mother.  "This  is  no 
time  for  apologies  or  pleas  for  mercy.  I  want  the 
Facts!" 

Sophia  had  now  reached  an  heroic  stage  where  even 
the  tirades  of  her  mother  could  not  awe  her.  Impaled 
on  the  horns  of  a  dilemma  she  might  be;  imprisoned 


42 

and  punished  she  certainly  would;  but  she  knew  full 
well  that  there  by  the  fireplace  were  two  women,  older 
than  herself,  who  were  admiring  her  pluck  profoundly. 
She  knew  she  had  an  audience,  an  appreciative  and 
most  enthusiastic  audience,  even  if  both  members  of  it 
had  to  look  the  other  way  in  order  to  conceal  their 
laughter.  It  was  in  some  such  mood  as  this,  thought 
young  Sophia,  that  her  idol,  Colonel  Burr,  was  wont 
to  enter  court  and  wrestle  with  his  sworn  antagonist 
Mr.  Alexander  Hamilton  in  some  great  legal  bout.  To 
feel  herself  Joan  of  Arc  at  one  moment  and  Colonel 
Burr  the  next  may  have  been  some  serious  strain  upon 
her  young  imagination  and  anatomy,  but  Sophia's  brain 
proved  equal  to  it.  As  she  turned  to  face  her  mother 
once  more  she  was  an  insurrectionist  incarnate. 

"I  don't  care  what  you  say,  Ma,  nor  how  you  scold 
me.  Colonel  Burr  is  the  greatest  man  that  ever  lived. 
I've  seen  him  twice.  Once  riding  by  the  Schuylkill. 
How  he  does  ride,  Ma !  and  then  once — I  shall 
never  forget  it,  never! — when  he  came  to  our  school 
to  call  on  one  of  the  elder  girls,  a  friend  of  his  daugh- 
ter Theodosia.  Ah,  what  a  man,  Maf  So  charming, 
so  polite  to  everybody.  Such  beautiful  delicate  hands 
he  has;  and  such  eyes,  Ma,  such  eyes!  Eyes  that  burn 
you  right  through  and  through  and  then  give  you  nice 
little  shivers!  All  the  teachers  fell  in  love  with  him. 
And  one  of  the  day  scholars  has  written  a  most 
beautiful  epitaph  about  him  which  she's  going  to  place 
on  his  grave  if  she's  alive  when  he  dies." 

"Sophia,"  said  her  mother  sternly,  "I'm  surprised 
and  most  ashamed  of  you.  This  is  all  beside  the  ques- 
tion. From  now  on  you'll  have  a  private  governess. 


SOPHIA  SPARKLE  WHISPERS  SCANDAL     43 

But  in  the  meanwhile,  child,  answer  me.     What  do 
your  schoolmates  say  of  Col.  Burr?" 

Sophia  had  reached  the  brink.  Like  a  wise  child 
she  plunged  instantly.  Leaning  slightly  forward  and 
speaking  her  words  in  a  semi-whisper  she  cried: 

"They  say  he  has  the  finest  leg  of  any  man  in  Con- 
gress!" 

"Sophia,  leave  the  room!"  This  time  it  was  not 
an  ultimatum  alone,  it  was  a  shriek,  a  wail  of  outraged 
maternity.  Mistress  Sparkle  paused  an  instant  for 
breath  as  poor  Sophia  tearfully  winged  her  flight, 
and  then  turning  to  her  two  former  opponents  she 
exclaimed  in  search  of  sympathy: 

"My  God!  What  are  we  coming  to  here  in  Amer- 
ica when  a  child  of  her  years  dares  to  wax  enthusiastic 
about  a  devil  like  Aaron  Burr?" 

This  was  Sally's  chance — the  chance  she  had  been 
waiting  for.  She  grasped  it  with  her  most  bland  and 
childlike  smile.  And  she  looked  so  innocent,  too ! 

"But  dear  Mistress  Sparkle,  only  a  moment  since 
you  were  telling  me  that  at  Sophia's  age  you  were  not 
only  married  but  had " 

"Hold  your  tongue,  you  forward  minx!"  shouted 
Mistress  Sparkle.  "Between  my  daughter  Sophia  and 
you  and  Dolly  Todd  God  only  knows  what  this  old 
town  of  Philadelphia  is  coming  to !  And  you,"  turning 
with  a  sudden  viciousness  on  Dolly,  "God  Almighty! 
To  think  that  you,  a  woman  whose  forebears  were  re- 
spectable and  above  reproach,  should  harbor  that  rep- 
robate here.  No  extremity  can  excuse  it — least  of  all 
your  widowhood!" 

"I  should  never  think  to  plead  it,  Ma'am,*  said 


44       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

Dolly  promptly.  "In  my  Mother's  widowhood — years 
ago — he  lodged  here.  Now  since  perforce  I  have 
had  to  use  this  old  mansion  to  make  my  living  in  a 
similar  way  he  has  been  most  scrupulous  and  most 
considerate  of  my  awkward  circumstance.  Whatever 
his  figure,  Col.  Burr  is  gentleman." 

"He's  a  Presbyterian!"  cried  Mrs.  Sparkle  decis- 
ively. 

"A  man  can  be  a  Christian  in  any  church,"  said 
Dolly. 

"Perhaps.  But  a  gentleman  only  in  the  Episco- 
pal." 

"If  he  were  a  Turk  he'd  be  no  less  my  friend." 

"Of  course  not,"  snapped  Mistress  Sparkle.  "You 
always  did  like  foreigners.  There  was  Talleyrand — to 
say  nothing  of  Lafayette !  'Tis  notorious  enough  that 
Burr  admires  you.  I  am  giving  you  the  benefit  of  the 
very  mildest  word!" 

"My  dear  Madam,  I  should  not  be  In  woman's  shape 
if  he  did  not." 

Dolly  had  folded  her  hands  in  front  of  her  and  was 
facing  Mistress  Sparkle  once  more  as  though  ready  to 
do  battle. 

"Colonel  Burr  admires  the  sex,11  pursued  Dolly 
calmly,  "The  pretty  ones  because  they  please  him  and 
the  ugly  ones  because  he's  sorry  for  'em.  His  admira- 
tion I  rate  lightly.  But  not  his  friendship.  Thee  might 
deem  thyself  a  very  lucky  woman,  Mistress  Sparkle,  to 
own  the  loyal  friendship  of  Ronnie  Burr  as  an  offset  to 
thy  middle  age." 

"It  seems  to  me  then,"  she  exclaimed,   "that  he 


SOPHIA  SPARKLE  WHISPERS  SCANDAL     45 

could  prove  his  affection  for  you  best  by  lodging  else- 
where." 

"My  eye  and  Betty  Martin!  What  is  it  thee's  say- 
ing? Bereave  me,  for  mere  respectability's  sake,  of 
my  foremost  patron;  who  pays  forty  shillings  the 
week  for  the  second  floor  front,  twenty-five  more  for 
his  meals:  dines  out  half  the  time  and  scarcely  ever 
home  for  breakfast  I  Why,  woman,  't  would  be  high- 
way robbery, — not  to  say  cruelty  to  landladies! — to 
rob  me  of  a  lodger  like  that.  " 

"The  wretch!"  blurted  out  Mistress  Sparkle,  at  a 
loss  for  immediate  words. 

"Besides,"  pursued  Dolly  quick  to  realize  that  her 
opponent  was  in  retreat,  "Col.  Burr  makes  my  house 
the  fashion.  He  gives  my  house  a  reputation,  even  if, 
as  you  say,  his  presence  robs  me  of  my  own." 

"Well,  he  couldn't  give  you  his:  that's  one  comfort! 
'Twas  lost  years  and  years  ago.  And  even  if  adver- 
tised for  and  recovered  'twould  be  found  to  be  injured 
beyond  repair."  She  paused  and  then  continued  more 
slowly,  as  though  to  give  her  words  the  greater  weight. 

"Remember,  Dolly  Todd,  for  all  your  enthusiastic 
championship  of  Aaron  Burr  his  reputation  even  years 
ago  was  so  bad  that  General  Washington  would  not 
receive  him  in  his  house." 

"That  was  a  matter  of  personal  enmity,  as  thee 
knows  well,"  said  Dolly  with  conviction.  "Besides,  if 
we  come  to  that!  George  himself  was  no  Joseph!" 

"But  at  least  General  Washington  had  the  grace  to 
conceal  his  peccadilloes.  This  man  Burr  parades  his 
shame,  boasts  of  his  conquests,  advertises  his  amours." 

"Oh,   never,   never!"  cried   Dolly,   seriously.      "If 


46       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

Colonel  Burr  kisses,  he  doesn't  tell.  That  I  promise 
thee." 

"You  needn't  promise  me  anything  of  the  sort," 
snapped  Mistress  Sparkle.  Sally  McKean,  enjoying 
the  contretemps  hugely  in  the  corner,  could  not  restrain 
a  sudden  peal  of  laughter. 

"I'm  in  no  danger  from  Aaron  Burr  or  any  of  his 
kidney!"  declared  the  dowager. 

"Nor  I,  good  friend,"  said  Dolly,  still  more  seri- 
ously. "Though  I  thank  thee  none  the  less  for  thy 
concern.  As  for  us,  Laws !  Ma'am,  we're  both  women 
of  the  world  and,  thee  knows,  as  well  as  I  that  gal- 
lantry's the  fashion.  The  gentlemen  all  affect  the  air 
of  having  a  little  French  milliner  behind  the  book  case 
— when,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  there's  nothing  there  but 
cob  webs!  And  thee  and  I,  Mistress  Sparkle,  have 
lived  long  enough  to  know  that  no  one  mere  man 
could  be  so  wicked  as  they  credit  Col.  Burr  with  being 
and  yet  retain  the  esteem  and  the  affection  of  his 
countrymen.  Look  at  him  as  he  stands  in  the  Hall  of 
Congress  at  this  moment!  Half  the  States  voting 
stubbornly,  day  after  day,  to  make  him  President  over 
Jefferson,  Adams,  Rufus  King,  John  Jay,  the  very 
flower  of  the  land  forsooth!  Doesn't  that  go  to  prove 
to  thee,  that  Col.  Burr's  not  as  black  as  he's  painted  ?" 

"Oh,  there's  plenty  of  his  same  strip  and  kidney, 
I'll  admit,"  interrupted  Mistress  Sparkle,  "and  the 
worst  of  it  is — and  'tie>  a  notorious  fact, — they  all 
stand  by  one  another." 

Sir  Anthony  Merry  entered,  but  seeing  company 
present  was  about  to  withdraw  with  a  murmured  apol- 
ogy when  Dolly,  spying  him,  cried  cheerily: 


47 

"Pray  walk  in,  Sir.  We're'  dying  of  the  ennui !  Do 
tell  the  latest  news.  Mistress  Sparkle,  Sir  Anthony 
Merry." 

"Your  servant,  Madam,"  said  Sir  Anthony,  bowing 
while  Mistress  Sparkle,  ever  fond  of  a  title,  strove 
to  look  as  alluring  and  as  kittenish  as  her  face  and  her 
new  French  stays  would  allow.  "As  to  news,  Ma'am, 
the  debate  is  over,  Mr.  Burr  bade  me  say:  And  also 
that  they  have  closed  the  gallery." 

"Then  they  must  be  near  a  vote.     How  exciting!" 

"It  seems  to  me,  Ma'am,  that  they  were  nearer  to 
blows  than  anything  else  when  I  withdrew." 

"The  boobies!  How  ridiculous  this  all  is!"  ex- 
claimed Mistress  Sparkle.  "When  all  the  fools  have 
got  to  do  is  to  choose  John  Adams  and  the  whole 
matter  is  settled  without  any  more  to-do!" 

"But  thee  remembers  that  is  impossible,"  said  Dolly. 
"His  wife  has  declared  that  under  no  conditions  would 
she  consent  to  live  at  the  new  Capital." 

"Perfectly  right,"  retorted  Mistress  Sparkle.  "I 
don't  blame  her.  They  tell  me  it's  all  swamp  and  no 
society." 

"Oh,  well!  Of  course  it's  too  much  to  expect  that 
a  lady  accustomed  to  the  gaieties,  the  dissipations  and 
the  routs  of  Quincy,  Mass "  laughed  Dolly,  sar- 
castically. 

Sir  Anthony  interrupted  her.  "It's  my  opinion 
there'll  be  no  one  elected.  From  the  little  talk  and 
the  riotous  actions  in  your  Parliament  just  now  I  can 
not  conceive " 

"Bah!"  laughed  Mistress  Sparkle.  "My  dear  Sir, 
in  half  an  hour  you'll  find  'em  at  the  tavern  next  door, 


48       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

bumping  glasses  and  as  thick  as  thieves.  Hamilton 
and  Burr  may  be  arm  in  arm,  Jefferson  and  Adams  ex- 
changing the  time  of  day.  'Tis  a  family  quarrel,  a 
brotherly  tiff.  We're  all  well  used  to  it,  for  nobody 
gets  hurt  except  in  their  vocabularies.  Are  you  mar- 
ried, Sir?" 

"Unhappily,  yes,"  responded  Sir  Anthony,  without 
thinking.  "Pardon  me,  Madam!  I  meant  that  the 
sight  of  so  much  loveliness  made  me  regret  the  fact." 

"Ah!    Then  your  lady  is  not  with  you?" 

"Happily  not,"  smiled  Sir  Anthony,  quite  good 
naturedly  now.  "But  she  is  on  her  way,  poor  soul! 
I  had  to  come  first  and  make  sure  that  Lady  Merry 
would  be  content  here  before  she  set  foot  out  of  Eng- 
land. She's  bringing  a  younger  sister.  She  felt  she 
must  have  some  woman  of  her  own  kind  near  her,  the 
reports  about  the  country  and  the  people  had  alarmed 
her  greatly." 

"Poor  Lady  Merry!"  laughed  Dolly  mischievously. 
"Shure  she'll  have  to  find  us  as  God  made  us — barring 
our  clothes  and  a  dash  of  rouge!" 

"But  the  worst  of  it  is,"  exclaimed  Sir  Anthony, 
"she  anticipates  the  worst." 

"Well,  surely  that's  something  to  be  thankful  for," 
said  Dolly.  "  'Twill  be  impossible  for  us  to  disappoint 
her." 

"Thanks!  Most  amiable  of  woman!"  smiled  the 
baronet.  "When  you  thoroughly  understand  her  I  am 

sure  that  you  and  Lady  Merry " 

"Well,  we're  sure  to  do  that, '"said  Dolly,  "provided 
you  only  stay  long  enough." 

Suddenly  a  church  bell  started  ringing;  then  two, 


49 

then  half  a  score.  The  conversation  was  dropped  like 
an  overheated  coal  and  every  one  made  haste  to  the 
windows.  As  Dolly  and  her  friends  stood  there  the 
shouts  and  cheers  of  the  crowds  round  the  Hall  of 
Congress  could  be  heard  distinctly.  Presently  a  can- 
non boomed  out  and  then  a  band  playing  martial 
music  went  rattling  down  Fourth  Street  From  the 
window  in  the  hall  where  young  Sophia  and  Pinckney 
stood  the  crowd  extended  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see. 

"What's  it  mean?  The  bells — and  the  cannon, 
too,"  cried  Mistress  Sparkle.  "From  the  row  we 
might  be  having  another  French  Revolution — only 
so  few  of  us  Philadelphians  speak  really  decent 
French!" 

"  'Tis  the  election,  of  course,"  cried  Dolly  excitedly. 
"They've  chosen  a  President!"  Then  half  to  herself 
she  added  fervently,  "Please  God  it's  Ronnie  Burr!" 

"Let  us  hope  they've  picked  a  gentleman,  at  all 
events,"  exclaimed  Mistress  Sparkle,  as  Dolly  violently 
rang  the  bell. 

"Clotilde,"  she  cried,  as  her  maid  entered,  "run  to 
the  Inn  next  door.  Ask  the  news.  Find  who's  elected. 
Run,  girl,  run!"  Just  then  a  resounding  knock  came 
at  the  outer  door,  so  Dolly  added,  "See  who  that  is, 

first.  Find  who's  at  the  door.  They'll  know ." 

Then  came  the  sound  of  a  cheery,  baritone  voice. 
Dolly's  face  brightened  into  radiance  as  she  turned 
towards  the  hall.  Her  hands  were  clasped  in  front 
of  her  excitedly. 

"Now  we  shall  hear  the  news,"  she  cried,  "It's  Col. 
Burr!" 


CHAPTER  IV 

COLONEL  BURR  LOSES  THE  PRESIDENCY  BY  ONE  VOTE 
AND  MR.  MADISON  MEETS  A  CHARMING  LADY 

At  his  birth  an  evil  spirit 
Charms  and  spoils   around  him  flung, 
And  with  well  concocted  malice, 
Laid  a  curse  upon  his  tongue. 

He  could  plead,  expound  and  argue 
Fire  with  wit,  with  wisdom  glow : 
But  one  word  forever  failed  him, 
Source  of  all  his  pain  and  woe, 
Luckless  wight!     He  could  not  say  it — 
Could  not — -dared  not,  answer  No ! 

— CHARLES  MACKAY. 

OME,  Sophia!  We  are  leaving!"  It  was 
Mistress  Sparkle's  voice. 
At  the  mention  of  the  new  Vice-President's 
name  she  had  spread  her  skirts,  grasped  her  reticule 
and  prepared  to  carry  off  the  reluctant  Sophia  at  any 
cost.  But  Colonel  Burr  forestalled  her. 

"Better  wait,  Ma'am.  Crowds  block  the  way.  I 
assure  you  I  had  to  fight  my  way  here." 

"Why?  What's  the  matter?  Anything  wrong?" 
asked  Mistress  Sparkle  with  a  superb  display  of  ig- 
norance. 

"That's  a  matter  of  taste,  Ma'am,"  said  Burr  with  a 
slight  shrug.  "Mr.  Jefferson's  been  chosen  President." 

so 


MR.  BURR  LOSES  THE  PRESIDENCY       51 

"That  atheist!  Beats  the  Devil!"  cried  Mistress 
Sparkle. 

"And  by  only  one  vote,  Ma'am.  Eight  States  de- 
clared for  Mr.  Jefferson — seven  for  the  other — "  and 
he  bowed  profoundly  as  he  spoke  and  smiled  ironically 
— "candidate." 

"Then  you,  of  course,  are  Vice  President,"  said  the 
dowager  in  a  tone  which  indicated  that  she  had  quite 
abandoned  hope  and  was  about  to  see  her  country  go 
entirely  to  the  deuce. 

"Alas!  The  law  so  orders!"  said  Burr  with  a 
martyr's  air. 

"You!    Vice  President.     'Tis  outrageous!" 

But  as  she  said  the  words  she  smiled  coquettishly 
and  held  her  hand  out. 

Burr  leaned  over  and  kissed  her  hand. 

"Thanks  for  the  sympathy,  Ma'am.  God  knows!  I 
'have  done  nothing  to  deserve  this  fate !"  He  raised  his 
head  and  laughed  like  a  school-boy.  "Think  of  it! 
Vice  President  to  Jefferson  with  his  health  of  a  stalled- 
ox  and  sure  of  a  second  term !  Eight  years  of  obscurity 
for  A.  Burr!  My  compliments  to  Mr.  Hamilton  and 
his  friends!  They've  done  for  me  this  time, — Vice 
President!  Ha!  Ha!"  He  laughed  again  in  that 
(debonair  way  which  was  one  of  his  greatest  charms. 

Probably  in  all  the  days  of  his  long  life — in  all  the 
disappointments,  in  all  the  disasters  which  had  happened 
and  which  were  yet  to  come — there  never  was  a  time 
when  Burr  was  smarting  more  acutely  under  his  fate 
than  that  moment  when  he  entered  Dolly  Todd's  draw- 
ing room.  Yet  no  one,  save  Dolly  perhaps,  would  ever 
have  guessed.  He  seemed  bursting  with  good  nature 


52       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

and  high  spirits.  His  handsome  and  wonderfully  ex- 
pressive face  seemed  alight  with  enthusiasm.  His 
slender  figure,  somewhat  under  the  medium  height,  so 
sinewey,  elastic  and  well  proportioned  that,  in  the 
immaculate  black  costume  of  the  period,  it  gave  him 
a  singularly  youthful  appearance,  swayed  as  he  ban- 
tered jokes  with  the  dowager.  And  into  his  handsome 
face  there  came  that  look  of  whimsical  tenderness 
which  it  always  wore  when  he  talked  to  a  woman. 
His  voice,  though  not  powerful,  was  round  and  full 
and  crisp;  never  loud,  it  could  be  tender  and  expressive 
as  the  occasion  required,  and  Burr,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered, was  a  born  elocutionist.  He  spoke  tersely  and 
with  a  simplicity  which  was  almost  epigrammatic. 

His  diction  was,  next  to  his  eyes,  perhaps  his  great- 
est charm,  and  when  talking  to  a  woman  he  always 
lowered  his  voice  to  an  almost  confidential  tone.  No 
man  of  his  day,  not  even  the  great  Hamilton  himself, 
possessed  so  full  and  expressive  a  vocabulary  and  none 
ever  expressed  himself  with  more  simplicity  than 
Aaron  Burr.  His  hair,  heavily  powdered,  was  held 
in  place  by  a  small  tortoise  shell  comb  and  arranged 
in  such  a  way  that  his  beautifully  proportioned  head 
appeared  to  great  advantage,  and  his  high  forehead 
and  large  nose,  with  its  expanding  nostrils,  gave  to 
his  face  both  dignity  and  power.  But  it  was  his  eyes 
which  made  the  charm  of  him.  Perfectly  round,  not 
large  but  deep  black,  marvelously  penetrating,  no  man 
could  stand  in  the  presence  of  this  man  with  his  own 
eyes  fixed  upon  him  without  realizing  that  they  had 
read  his  innermost  thoughts. 

There  was  a  power  in  his  look,  a  masterfulness  which 


MR.  BURR  LOSES  THE  PRESIDENCY       53 

amounted  to  an  almost  hypnotic  effect.  Men  feared 
those  eyes;  women  they  fascinated;  but  children  and 
dogs  after  a  slight  glance  always  came  to  him  of  their 
own  accord.  His  eyes  might  draw  them  for  a  moment 
but  it  was  his  smile, — a  smile  which  lightened  up  his 
rather  melancholy  face  and  made  it  beautiful,  which 
won  children  and  dumb  animals  to  him  for  life. 

Debonair,  polished,  whimsical,  he  swaggered  about 
the  drawing-room  as  though,  to  all  appearances,  this 
was  by  all  odds  the  happiest  day  of  his  life.  Dolly 
watched  him  narrowly  but  said  little.  It  was  blunder- 
ing Sir  Anthony  who  presently  made  a  diversion  by  ex- 
claiming: 

"Well,  all  I  have  to  say  is,  Jefferson's  no  friend  of 
England.  As  a  nation,  we  had  hoped  for  his  defeat." 

"You  should  have  made  that  fact  known,  Sir,"  said 
Burr  with  seriousness. 

"Why?  Do  you  think  if  I  had  done  so  it  would 
have  changed  the  results?" 

"No.  Merely  hastened  it,"  laughed  Burr. 
"  'Twould  at  least  have  saved  the  country  all  these 
months  of  doubt  and  wrangling — such  as  you  inter- 
rupted to-day.  You  must  have  been  hard  put  to  keep 
your  face,  Sir." 

"But,  my  dear  man,  I  took  it  all  quite  seriously," 
said  Sir  Anthony  slightly  bewildered.  "They  spoke 
well,  some  of  your  Congressmen.  Why  one  of  them 
even  quoted  Latin." 

"Ah!  Yes,"  nodded  Burr  with  no  sign  of  a  smile. 
"That  was  Randolph  of  Roanoke.  But  you  mustn't 
hold  that  against  him.  He'd  been  drinking!" 


54       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

For  the  first  time  he  turned  to  Dolly  and  addressed 
her. 

"You  should  have  heard  them  abuse  me,"  he  ex- 
claimed, laughing.  "Hamilton's  friends  scarce  left  a 
hair  on  my  head.  Just  before  the  final  vote,  in  their 
rage,  they  didn't  speak  my  name,  they  barked  it.  'Burr ! 
Burr!  Burr!'  they  growled.  I'm  so  sorry  you  didn't 
hear  them.  I  kept  looking  up  in  the  gallery  hoping  that 
you'd  be  there,  then  hurried  a  page  to  fetch  you. 
Lord!  How  they  did  abuse  me!  You'd  have  been 
amused." 

"You  seem  to  forget,  Sir,  that  Mrs.  Todd's  in 
mourning,"  interrupted  Mistress  Sparkle  stiffly.  "Cus- 
tom forbids  her  all  amusement  just  at  present." 

"But  to  hear  an  old  friend  black-guarded!"  cried 
Dolly.  "Oh!  dear  Mistress  Sparkle,  even  the  most 
censorious,  even  thee,  wouldn't  deny  one  that  pleasure." 

"Oh!  There'll  be  other  opportunities,  my  dear. 
Have  no  fear  of  that." 

"Perhaps.  But  such  a  rare  occasion,  Ma'am,  may 
never  occur  even  in  your  blooming  lifetime,"  said 
Burr  with  another  bow  to  the  dowager.  "A  tie  in  the 
vote  for  President!  A  tie  between  T.  Jefferson  and 
A.  Burr, — a  tie  for  the  which,  if  you  please,  I  am 
to  blame.  Oh!  no,  Ma'am,  such  an  event  does  not 
occur  every  day.  I  should  have  liked  Mrs.  Todd  to 
have  been  there. 'f 

"You  had  a  hand  in  it?  How  was  that?"  asked 
Mistress  Sparkle,  growing  curious. 

"That's  what  they  said  in  the  house  to-day,  Ma'am 
— though  much  less  politely,"  answered  Burr.  "And 
for  a  similar  tie  when  the  election  was  moved  into  the 


MR.  BURR  LOSES  THE  PRESIDENCY       55 

House  of  Representatives,  they  blamed  me  even  for 
that.  As  though  I,  Aaron  Burr,  carried  the  high 
office  in  my  vest-pocket.  Preposterous!  Isn't  it?" 

"Then  am  I  to  believe  that  one  word  from  you," 
asked  Mistress  Sparkle  sarcastically,  "would  have 
settled  the  whole  business  long  ago?" 

"Yes,''  interrupted  Dolly  proudly.  "One  word  from 
Colonel  Burr — a  nod  of  his  head,  a  crook  of  his 
finger,  would  have  made  him  President.  Every  one 
knows  that  I" 

"Perhaps  though,  Mrs.  Todd,  'twas  as  well  you 
weren't  in  the  gallery,"  said  Burr  by  way  of  changing 
the  subject.  "You'd  have  been  throwing  kisses  to  Mad- 
ison. 'Twas  he  who  spoke  so  manfully  in  my  de- 
fense." 

"The  great  Madison?"  asked  Dolly  in  mock  sur- 
prise. 

"Little  Jemmy — no  less!"  continued  Burr.  "He 
declared  the  sixteen  States  would  resent  as  imper- 
tinent advice  from  either  candidate  as  to  how  they 
should  cast  their  votes.  Whether  for  or  against  me 
I  had  no  more  right  to  urge  my  own  defeat  than  that 
of  my  opponent." 

"How  splendid!  "cried  Dolly.  "What  a  man!  Oh! 
if  I'd  only  been  there!" 

"It  amazed  me  all  the  more,  coming  from  Madison. 
He's  never  liked  me,"  returned  Burr.  "He's  Jef- 
ferson's friend.  I  vowed  my  electoral  gratitude — 
told  him  if  need  be  I  would  go  to  Hell  for  him — 
Pray  don't  look  shocked,  Mistress  Sparkle ! — He 
promptly  assured  me  that  he  would  feel  fully  repaid 
if  I'd  go  no  further  than  Fourth  Street  and  bring  him 


5 6       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

with  me — "  Burr  bowed  obsequiously  to  Dolly  as  he 
spoke— "to  Mrs.  Todd's." 

"Here?  To  see  me?  Why  I  doubt  if  the  man  has 
ever  laid  eyes  on  me  !" 

"He  caught  a  glimpse  of  you,  it  seems,"  said  Burr 
with  rather  a  knowing  smile. 

"When,  Sir?     And  where?" 

Instinctively  Dolly  turned  to  Sally  McKean  as  she 
asked  the  question. 

"He  gave  me  no  details.  But  I  surmised  from  the 
zeal  of  his  admiration  that  he'd  seen  considerable  of 
you." 

"Then  that  must  suffice  the  man  for  the  present. 
'Tis  my  busy  day — "  flat-footedly  and  with  a  little 
air  of  arrogance — "I'm  glad  he  championed  thy  cause, 
and  soon  in  his  presence  I  shall  be  pleased  to  thank  him. 
Next  week,  perhaps " 

"The  man's  waiting  now,"  said  Burr  bluntly. 

"Waiting?    What  do  you  mean?" 

"When  he  asked  to  come  along  with  me  what  else 
could  I  do?  Presuming  on  your  good  nature  I  said 
he  might  present  himself  at  four  o'clock  unless  advised 
to  the  contrary.  However,  as  you're  not  in  the  mood 
I'll  send  him  word."  Burr  walked  towards  the  bell 
rope,  but  young  Sophia,  turning  eagerly  to  Dolly,  bade 
him  pause. 

"No,  no!  Do  have  him  in — just  for  a  look,  dear 
Mrs.  Todd.  I'm  dying  to  see  him.  'Tis  Mr.  Mad- 
ison you're  speaking  of?"  she  asked  of  Burr. 

"Yes,"  he  replied.  "And  do  you  know  him  too? 
— Lucky  Jemmy!" 

"The  Constitution  man,  I  mean,"  continued  Sophia, 


MR.  BURR  LOSES  THE  PRESIDENCY       57 

making  sure  of  her  ground.  Then,  as  Burr  nodded 
corroboration,  she  continued.  ''Yes.  He's  the  .nan. 
Oh!  It's  such  a  lovely  story.  So  romantic!  He's 
the  man  jilted  Kitty  Floyd,  the  Long  Island  beauty,  for 
wearing  rouge !" 

"Oh!  Laws!"  cried  Dolly  laughing  outright  as  she 
touched  her  cheeks.  "Don't  look  at  me  that  way, 
child.  I  don't  use  the  stuff  for  vanity's  sake,  but 
from  motives  of  philanthropy.  I  wish  to  give  pleasure 
to  those  who  look  at  me." 

"Oh!  But  'twas  such  a  romantic  story,"  continued 
Sophia,  not  to  be  hushed  so  easily.  "She — Kitty  Floyd 
— was  just  out  of  braids  and  after  a  most  firey  court- 
ship  » 

"What!  Madison  freyf  Oh,  never,  never!"  pro- 
tested Colonel  Burr. 

"Sophia !"  roared  her  mother  who,  to  her  own  mind, 
had  been  far  too  long  out  of  the  picture.  "Where'd 
you  learn  that?" 

"At  school,  Ma.  It  was  exciting!  Some  of  the 
girls  had  seen  correspondence — most  passionate  letters  ! 
Why  they  even  say " 

"You  needn't,  Sophia!"  thundered  her  mother  once 
more.  "You  have  said  quite  sufficient.  Now  we  are 
going  home." 

As  Sophia  moved  towards  the  window,  still  detail- 
ing to  Sally  her  pet  scandal  in  somewhat  squelched 
tones,  Dolly,  turning  to  Burr,  whispered  as  she  nodded 
towards  Mistress  Sparkle: 

"Win  her.     The  woman  hates  thee." 

"To  think  that  a  child  of  mine,  before  her  skirts 
are  below  her  ankles,  should  talk  of  'passionate  letters.' 


5 8       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

Oh!     'Tis     too     absurd!"     cried     Mistress     Sparkle. 

"Quite,"  said  Burr  in  a  voice  intended  for  her  alone. 
"An  exaggeration  too,  I  warrant  you.  Believe  me, 
Madam,  Mr.  Madison  never  wrote  anything  'passion- 
ate'— except,  of  course,  the  Constitution." 

"Why  Hamilton  wrote  that,"  said  Mistress  Sparkle, 
looking  Burr  full  in  the  eye.  "At  least  his  friends 
say  so." 

"To  be  sure,  Ma'am,"  said  Burr  with  a  touch  of 
sarcasm.  "And  the  Declaration  of  Independence — 
he  wrote  that  too!  And  the  Bill  of  Rights;  the 
Treaty  with  England,  and  then  of  course,  oh!  yes, 
I  was  forgetting!  Washington's  Farewell  Address — 
he  wrote  that  too!  In  short,  to  hear  Hamilton's 
friends,  Ma'am,  he  wrote  most  everything  important  to 
modern  society  except  Ben  Franklin's  Almanac  and 
the  Ten  Commandments.  And  presently  they'll  have 
him  revising  those!" 

"Eh!  What?  A  new  quarrel  between  you  two, 
again?"  said  Mistress  Sparkle,  all  agog  for  news. 
"You  speak  bitterly.  What's  gone  wrong  now? 
What's  new?" 

"Oh!  nothing,"  laughed  Burr,  indifferently.  "  'Tis 
the  same  old  story." 

"The  same!  What  d'you  mean  by  that?  That 
French  petticoat  Jumel?" 

"Nothing  so  charming,  Ma'am.  Nor  yet  so  worth 
while.  Besides,  speaking  of  that  charming  lady  you 
just  mentioned, — "  he  leaned  towards  Mistress  Sparkle 
and  almost  whispered — "between  ourselves,  let  me 
enlighten  you.  She's  French  by  descent  only,  and  she 
isn't  a  petticoat!  She's  a  very  brilliant  woman,  almost  a 


MR.  BURR  LOSES  THE  PRESIDENCY       59 

native  of  our  own  soil,  Ma'am — though  she  says  she 
was  born  at  sea — who  has  lived  long  in  Europe  and 
learned  much  womanly  wisdom  there.  But  like  myself 
she  was  raised  in  New  England." 

"Europe,  eh!  Yes,  I  should  think  Europe  would 
have  agreed  with  her  remarkably  well.  I  once  heard 
my  old  friend  Benjamin  Reath  describe  it  accurately. 
'Europe!'  said  he:  'Why  Europe  is  merely  a  sunny 
place  for  shady  people.'  It  certainly  should  have 
suited  Madam  Jumel." 

"But  what  you  say  is  news  to  be  sure  !"  laughed  Mis- 
tress Sparkle.  "It  seems  to  me  that  as  time  goes  on  her 
parentage  becomes  a  sort  of  movable  feast." 

"How  d'you  mean,  Ma'am?"  said  Burr  with  slight 
interest. 

"Oh !  Don't  worry,  Colonel  Burr.  For  once  you're 
really  innocent.  Precocious  as  report  says  you  used 
to  be  in  those  old  Connecticut  days,  no  person  in  her 
senses  is  going  to  accuse  you  of  being  the  father  of 
Betty  Jumel.  I  was  speaking  of  a  far  more  illustrious 
and  august  person!  Once,  years  ago  in  a  New  York 
restaurant,  in  the  days  when  she  was  Mrs.  Croix, 
from  my  seat  at  the  next  table,  I  heard  the  Jade 
insinuate  that  Napoleon  was  her  father.  Later,  of 
course,  since  she's  married  old  Jumel  with  all  his, 
riches  and  fandangoes — since  Lady  Washington  was 
induced  by  some  powerful  influence  to  say  'How-do-do' 
to  her — I  hear  she's  changed  her  tune.  She's  all 
American  now,  they  say,  and  declares  she's  a  daughter 
of  George  himself!" 

"You  do  her  a  great  injustice,  Ma'am,"  remarked 
Burr  seriously.  Then  taking  a  lighter  tone,  he  ex- 


60       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

claimed — "But,  fie!  fie!  Why  all  this  scandal?  We 
shall  shock  even  Miss  Sophia.  Let's  talk  politics — 
let's  go  back  to  that  old  bone  of  contention — between 
Hamilton  and  myself.  For  I  assure  you  it  is  all 
politics — nothing  else  in  the  world,  Ma'am.  You  see, 
when  Washington  died  he  bequeathed  Hamilton  two 
of  his  most  cherished  possessions — an  antique  silver 
snuff-box  and  his  ancient  grudge  'gainst  me.  As  Ham- 
ilton no  longer  uses  snuff  he  feels  bound  to  display  the 
other  bequest  on  every  public  occasion.  But  it's  only 
in  public,  Ma'am.  Privately  I " 

"Yes,  privately,"  sniffed  Mistress  Sparkle.  "I  hear 
that  you  are  very  good  friends." 

"Quite  true,"  assented  Burr.  "We  have  the  same 
tastes,  habits  and  associations." 

"Exactly.  That's  just  what  I  meant,"  laughed  the 
dowager.  And  then  Dolly,  who  had  just  caught  the 
last  remark,  exclaimed: 

"Oh!  There's  no  doubt  of  it!  Colonel  Burr  is  up 
to  snuff." 

"Really!  I  don't  quite  see  what  snuff  has  got  to 
do  with  it,"  said  Mistress  Sparkle. 

"Oh!  My  dear  Ma'am.  If  you  have  forgotten 

yours  I'm  sure  that  Colonel  Burr "  exclaimed 

Dolly. 

"Will  you?"  said  Burr  with  alacrity.  And  he  pro- 
duced a  jewelled  box  from  his  waistcoat  pocket. 

"Thank  you,  no!"  said  Mistress  Sparkle.  "  'Tis  an 
abominable  habit." 

"But  such  a  pretty  custom — in  some  hands,"  smiled 
Burr  insinuatingly.  "I  had  the  honor  to  know  your 
first  husband." 


MR.  BURR  LOSES  THE  PRESIDENCY       61 

"Laws!  Man,"  interrupted  Dolly.  "There  never 
was  but  one." 

Burr  still  held  the  box  towards  Mistress  Sparkle  and 
as  he  spoke  again  he  fixed  those  wonderful  black  eyes 
of  his  upon  her  rouged  and  wrinkled  face. 

"That  was  not  the  fault  of  my  sex,  I'm  sure,"  he 
murmured  gallantly;  and  Mistress  Sparkle,  while  Dol- 
ly's head  was  turned,  beamed  upon  him  and  took  a 
sly  pinch  of  the  snuff. 

Burr  and  the  dowager  strolled  to  the  sofa  and  sat 
down,  much  to  Sophia's  relief. 

"Tell  me,  Ma'am,"  said  Burr,  after  they  had  chatted 
for  a  season.  "That  pink  of  a  girl — Miss  Sophia  I 
hear  you  call  her — she  with  the  refreshing  air  of  the 
school-room — is  she  your  sister  or  your  niece?" 

"Why,  she's  my  daughter,"  said  Mistress  Sparkle, 
glowing  at  the  compliment.  "She's  the  youngest  of 
half-a-dozen.  You  may  not  believe  it,  but  I've  had 
six." 

"Six!"  cried  Burr  incredulously.  Then  in  his  most 
courtly  tone  he  added:  "I  thank  you,  Ma'am!" 

"Thank  me!  What  on  earth  do  you  thank  me 
for?" 

"On  behalf  of  my  sex,  Ma'am — for  having  shared 
so  freely  your  heritage  of  beauty.  To  my  mind 
that's  the  highest  duty  of  lovely  woman — to  replenish 
the  earth." 

"Stuff  and  nonsense!"  laughed  Mistress  Sparkle. 
"Where  did  you  get  your  wit  f rom  ?£J^asn't  jrmij* 
grandfather  the  famous  divine,  Jonathan  EdwardsJP^ 

"Yes.     The  head  of  Princeton  College,   Ma'am,*, 
said  Burr,  gravely. 


62       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"He  was  a  pious  man,  Mr.  Edwards,  and  a  very 
great  preacher.  How  on  earth,  now,  did " 

"Oh!  Yes!"  said  Dolly,  breaking  in  on  the  con- 
versation. "It  was  under  his  guidance  that  Colonel 
Burr  studied  for  the  University." 

"And  your  father,"  added  Mistress  Sparkle. 
"Wasn't  he  a  clergyman  too?" 

"Ah,  yes,  Ma'am.  (_And  his  grandfather  before  him. 
Like  Mrs.  Todd,"  said  Burr,  "I  come  from  a  line 
of  preadTers." 

"What  a  heritage!"  cried  Mistress  Sparkle.  ''Such 
responsibility!" 

"Prodigious,  Ma'am.  One  has  to  do  the  sinning 
for  the  whole  family." 

Tea  was  brought  in  and  served  to  all.  Mistress 
Sparkle,  gushingly,  begged  Colonel  Burr  to  join  her 
in  a  brew. 

"No.  Thank  you,  Ma'am.  Never  drink  it.  I 
love  tea-parties  for  the  sake  of  the  company.  You've 
heard  the  toast — 'tis  not  mine ! — in  fact  it  was  made 
by  a  real  poet — but  it's  worth  repeating."  And  pick- 
ing up  one  of  the  tea-pots,  Burr,  holding  it  in  mid 
air,  struck  an  attitude  and  recited: 

"Tea!  thou  soft,  thou  sober,  sage  and  venerable 
liquid;  thou  female-tongue-running,  smile-smoothing, 
heart-opening,  wink-tippling  cordial,  to  whose  glorious 
insipidity  I  owe  the  happiest  moments  of  my  life,  let  me 
fall  prostrate! — But  1  can't  drink  you." 

"The  last  line, — "  he  added — "is  my  own." 

"Bravo!  No  wonder  they  put  you  in  the  Senate, 
Sir.  You  recite  well.  Now,  after  all  that  ecstasy  on 


MR.  BURR  LOSES  THE  PRESIDENCY     63 

the  tea-leaf's  behalf,  can't  I  persuade  you  to  try  a 
cup?  One  lump — or — two?" 

"Thanks,  Ma'am.  I  must  refuse  for  my  country's 
sake.  Otherwise  my  nerves  might  shatter  at  the  pros- 
pect of  the  long  years  of  Vice-Presidential  desuetude 
which  lie  before  me." 

The  clock  in  the  hall  struck  four  and  on  the  last 
stroke  of  it  the  door  knocker  was  heard.  At  the  sound 
Sally  and  Sophia  came  in  hurriedly  from  the  hall. 

"Madison — on  the  stroke!  Always  punctual  is 
Jemmy,"  said  Burr  looking  at  his  watch.  "With  your 
permission  I'll  go  meet  him,  for  I  warn  you  all, 
'he's  most  timid  with  the  ladies " 

Dolly  shot  a  hasty  glance  into  the  mirror  above  the 
mantle-piece. 

"Pray  receive  him  for  me,"  she  asked  of  Mistress 
Sparkle.  "Sally,  come  with  me,  dear.  Both  our 
noses  are  red." 

"My  dear,  very  little  rouge  now,"  cautioned  Mis- 
tress Sparkle.  "Remember  what  Sophia  said — " 
Then  half  sotto  voice,  she  added — "If  you  find  him 
too  timid,  Mrs.  Todd,  pass  him  along  to  me.  I  should 
like  to  get  hold  of  him  for  one  of  my  girls." 

Heavier  than  Burr  and  taller,  as  the  two  men  came 
in,  Madison  made  comparatively  little  impression. 
Few  men  there  were  who  could  stand  beside  Aaron 
Burr  and  maintain  their  individuality.  But  Madison 
had  a  clear  cut,  rather  handsome  face,  an  air  of  sin- 
cerity and  seriousness  about  him  which,  while  it  may 
have  at  first  sight  seemed  a  trifle  ponderous,  assuredly 
carried  with  it  the  conviction  that  here  was  a  man  to 


64       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

be  reckoned  with  when  it  came  to  the  serious  affairs 
of  life. 

"Let  me  introduce  Mr.  Madison,  ladies,"  remarked 
Burr  while  the  dowager  and  Sophia  dropped  deep 
courtesies.  "My  former  class-mate  at  Princeton  Col- 
lege and — "  he  patted  Madison  rather  patronizingly 
upon  the  back — "our  next  Secretary  of  State." 

"But,  Sir,  I  beg  of  you!  Nothing  is  settled  yet  as 
to  that.  'Tis  premature  to " 

"You've  accepted,  haven't  you?"  asked  Burr  in  a 
tone  which  left  no  room  for  argument. 

"Yes — and — no,"  said  Madison,  with  that  wavering 
note  in  his  voice  which  was  so  characteristic  of  the 
man. 

"Good!  I  congratulate  you — and  the  country. 
You're  the  very  man  for  the  post,"  cried  Burr. 

"You're  unmarried,  I  believe?"  put  in  Mistress 
Sparkle,  who  lived  on  the  principle  of  making  hay 
even  if  the  moon  was  up. 

"Through    no    fault    of    my    own,    I    assure    you, 

"Ah  !  Then  the  error  is  more  easily  corrected.  The 
President  being  a  widower,  and  the  Vice  President" — 
she  fixed  Burr  with  her  weather  eye — "no  better,  'twill 
devolve  on  the  State  Department  to  provide  'The 
First  Lady  in-  the  Land!' ' 

"That  is  what  Mr.  Jefferson  tells  me,  Ma'am." 

"Then  you  should  lose  no  time  about  it,  Sir.  'Tis 
important  for  both  your  sake  and  the  country's  that 
you  should  take  a  wife  without  delay." 

"May  the  cares  of  your  office  prove  more  domestic, 
Sir,"  exclaimed  Sir  Anthony  Merry.  "But  it  seems 


MR.  BURR  LOSES  THE  PRESIDENCY       65 

to  me  that  a  people  so  hostile  among  themselves  as 
I  impressioned  to-day,  won't  carry  peace  abroad." 

"We  have  no  anticipation  of  trouble,  Sir,"  said 
Madison  shortly. 

"But,  my  good  Sir,"  continued  Merry  pompously, 
"  'Tis  the  business  of  diplomacy  to  always  anticipate." 

"Then  you,  Sir?  Are  you  a  diplomat?"  said  Mad- 
ison in  surprise. 

Burr  intervened  hastily.  "Sir  Anthony  Merry's 
come  to  look  us  over  and,  if  he  likes  the  place,  he 
will  remain  as  British  Minister  at  Conococheague." 

"Where's  that?  What  did  you  call  it?"  cried 
Merry.  "Why  I  thought  the  place's  name  was  Wash- 
ington." 

"Yes,  of  course,"  said  Burr.  "You're  right,  Sir. 
That's  what  they're  going  to  call  it — Washington. 
Foi  myself  I  prefer  the  old  Indian  name." 

"Why  change  it,  then?"  asked  Merry. 

"Yes — or  the  place?  The  capital  should  remain 
here  in  Philadelphia  where  it  properly  belongs,"  said 
Mistress  Sparkle  with  as  much  asperity  as  though  she 
were  a  tigress  about  to  be  robbed  of  her  favorite 
cub. 

"But — Philadelphia,"  explained  Madison,  "is  too 
fast  and  frivolous,  Ma'am.  At  least  so  Congress  has 
found." 

"But  the  other  place — this  Washington.  Our  le- 
gation reports  it's  a  wilderness,"  cried  Merry. 

"Nothing  but  a  swamp  and  a  forest,"  ejaculated 
Mistress  Sparkle.  "A  horrible  hole!  And  most 
malarious!" 


66       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"But,"  interposed  Burr  deferentially,  "let  us  re- 
member, Ma'am,  Mr.  Madison  chose  it." 

"Pardon  me,'"  cried  Madison.  "That  was  Mr. 
Jefferson's  honor.  I  merely  approved." 

"Well,  I  hope  to  God  Lady  Merry  will  too!"  ex- 
claimed Sir  Anthony,  half  to  himself. 

Madison  seemed  a  little  ill  at  ease — rather  rest- 
less. Drawing  Burr  to  one  side  he  asked — "Will  they 
remain — all  these  people?" 

"No,  No,"  laughed  Burr,  slapping  him  on  the  back 
again.  "Brace  up,  Jemmy!  I'll  see  to  it  that  you're 
left  alone." 

"Do  you  think  I've  any  chance  with  her?"  he 
whispered. 

"Can't  tell.  But," — encouragingly — "at  least  she's 
interested." 

"How  d'you  know?     Did  she  say  so?" 

"No.  But  she's  decorating  herself.  That's  always 
a  good  sign!" 

But  before  they  could  say  further  Mistress  Sparkle 
was  down  upon  Madison  like  a  hawk,  leading  him 
towards  the  fire-place,  and  artfully  drew  Sophia, 
nothing  loath,  into  the  conversation. 

Merry  turned  to  Burr  and  in  a  confidential  tone 
remarked:  "To-day's  events,  I  suppose,  will  entirely 
change  your  plans,  Colonel  Burr?" 

"On  the  contrary!  Only  confirm  them." 

"But,  good  Heavens,  man!"  exclaimed  Sir  Anthony 
under  his  breath.  "As  Vice  President  of  the  United 
States  you  can't  take  Mexico  for  yourself." 

"My  dear  Sir  Anthony,"  said  Burr  in  an  equally 
confidential  tone,  "great  ventures  cannot  stand  on 


MR.  BURR  LOSES  THE  PRESIDENCY     67 

small  morals.  When  the  time  comes,  if  it's  necessary, 
I  can  easily  resign  the  office.  In  the  meantime  you 
get  me,  from  London,  the  loan  which  I  require." 

"I'll  write  to-day,"  said  Merry.  "Two  hundred 
thousands  dollars,  isn't  it?" 

"Pounds,  Sir,"  said  Burr  emphatically.  "Two 
hundred  thousand  pounds." 

"Oh!" — rather  blankly — "I  thought  you  said  dol- 
lars." 

"  'Tis  an  expedition  I  plan,  Sir — not  a  picnic,"  said 
Burr. 

To  rollicking  young  Sophia,  Madison's  bashfulness 
was  a  huge  joke.  Presently  as  the  rustle  of  Mrs. 
Todd's  approaching  skirts  was  heard  she  turned  to 
Pinckney  and  led  him  to  the  window-seat  where  they 
might  watch  the  meeting,  comparatively  unobserved. 

"Isn't  he  gay!"  she  laughed. 

'Tis  my  ankleman!"  gasped  Dolly  as  she  entered 
with  Sally  McKean. 

"Mr.  Madison,  ladies!"  said  Burr. 

"Charmed,  I  am  sure !"  said  Dolly,  as  she  courtesied. 

There  was  an  awkward  pause  during  which  Madison 
stammered  and  cleared  his  throat. 

"From  the  South,  Sir,  I  believe?"  asked  Dolly. 

"Yes,  Ma'am." 

"Virginia,  I  understand?" 

"Mr.  Jefferson's  State,  yes,  Ma'am." 

There  was  another  pause — much  to  Sophia's  de- 
light; for  she  was  enjoying  Madison's  discomfiture 
most  hugely. 

Then  Dolly,  growing  desperate,  asked: 

"It  snows  there — sometimes?" 


68       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"Yes,  Ma'am.     In  the  winter." 

"Repartee!"  came  in  a  muffled  snicker  from  Sophia 
in  the  window-seat.  But  Pinckney  squelched  her  and, 
laughingly,  bade  her  mend  her  manners. 

"Do  you  find  our  climate  trying?"  asked  Dolly  quite 
solicitously. 

"Yes — and — no,"  said  Madison. 

"Oh,  the  diplomat!"  cried  Sophia  in  a  tone  so  loud 
that  her  mother  threatened  to  box  her  ears. 

"But  it  has  compensations,"  said  Madison  looking  at 
Mrs.  Todd  admiringly. 

"Ah,  yes,"  said  Dolly  seeming  oblivious  of  his 
glances.  "  'Tis  quite  too  gay  here  for  Congress,  so 
they're  leaving  us.  There  are  dinners,  cards  and 
dances." 

"Oh!  But  I  was  speaking  more  of  our  out-door 
sports,  Ma'am.  Like — walking." 

"This  is  nobody's  fool,"  said  Dolly  to  herself.  "He's 
galloping  towards  that  ankle  of  mine  as  fast  as  he  can 
trot." 

"Then  we  have  the  theatre, "  said  Dolly,  bound  to 
keep  her  foot  out  of  the  conversation.  "Dost  thee 
visit  the  theatre  often?" 

"Yes,  once  in  a  while,  Ma'am.  But  I  am  more  fond 
of  the  Wax  Works.  I  was  coming  from  there  the  other 
day  when " 

"Ah!  Yes.  I  see  thee  goes  to  the  Wax  Works  to 
encourage  the  Drama.  Then  too,  I  expect  thee's  fond 
of  music." 

"Well,  yes,  Ma'am.  Mr.  Jefferson  plays  the  fid- 
dle  " 

"Oh!    God  help  us!"  interrupted  Sir  Anthony,  who 


MR.  BURR  LOSES  THE  PRESIDENCY      69 

had  been  standing  by.     "We  all  know  that!     We've 
heard  him." 

"And  sometimes  I  accompany  him,"  said  Madison. 

"Thee!  Second  fiddle!  I  can't  believe  it,"  said 
Dolly  with  a  roguish  smile. 

"Banjo,  Ma'am,"  said  Madison  with  an  amused 
look. 

"I  dote  on  the  banjo,"  cried  Dolly  clasping  her 
hands.  "  'Tis  the  one  musical  instrument  put  on  earth 
that  a  man  may  play  with  impunity." 

"Sophia!"  came  the  raucous  tones  of  Mistress  Spar- 
kle. "Come  along!  We  are  leaving." 

Dolly  flew  to  her. 

"Now  that  you've  spoken  with  Mr.  Burr,"  said  she, 
"Thee  sees  he  doesn't  deserve  what  people  say  of  him." 

"Every  bit  of  it !"  snapped  the  old  woman.  Then  with 
a  knowing  smile,  she  whispered.  "My  dear!  between 
us,  he's  charming.  If  I'm  ever  driven  to  lodgers  he 
can  have  my  second  floor  front!" 

"Well.  I  must  be  going,"  said  Burr.  He  slapped 
Madison  on  the  back  again  as  he  passed  him.  "Buck 
up,  Jemmie !  Now's  your  chance.  We're  leaving  you 
a  clear  field."  Then  to  the  entire  company  he  ex- 
claimed. "But  I  warn  you  all — I've  asked  Mrs.  Todd 
to  marry  me." 

A  look  of  startled  dismay  came  into  Madison's  face, 
but  Dolly  was  quick  to  reassure  him. 

"Of  course  thee  has,"  she  exclaimed  to  Burr.  "And 
so  thee  has  asked  scores  of  other  women — and  just  as 
seriously!  With  Colonel  Burr,  I  would  have  thee 
know,  a  proposal  of  marriage  is  a  polite  ceremonial, — 
a  mere  courtesy.  He  offers  his  heart  to  the  ladies  with 


70       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

no  more  meaning  than  he  offers  his  snuff-box  to  gentle- 
men. He  expects  it  returned — after  a  pinch  or  two!" 

"Mrs.  Sparkle's  carriage!''  called  the  footman  and 
Burr,  advancing,  extended  his  arm. 

"My  attendance,  Ma'am." 

Mistress  Sparkle  was  about  to  take  his  arm — then 
suddenly  she  stopped: 

"But,  great  Heavens,  man !    I'll  lose  my  reputation." 

"Madam,"  cried  Burr.  "What  matters  that!  You 
shall  have  minel" 


CHAPTER  V 

MR.  MADISON  MAKES  A  DECLARATION  AND  DOLLY 
TODD  DECLARES  HER  INDEPENDENCE 


"If  a  man  really  loves  a  woman,  of  course  he  wouldn't  marry 
her  for  the  world,  if  he  were  not  quite  sure  that  he  was  the  best 
person  she  could  by  any  possibility  marry." 

— OLIVER  WENDELL  HOLMES. 


How  happy  I  could  be  with  either, 
Were  tother  dear  charmer  away ! 

— JOHN  GAY — "The  Beggars  Opera." 


"Sing  the  lovers'  litany 
Love  like  ours  can  never  die!" 

— KIPLING. 

THE  moment  Burr  and  the  other  guests  left  the 
room    Madison's    bearing    suddenly    changed 
into  open  admiration.     He  beamed  at  Dolly, 
came  a  step  towards  her  and  bending  his  handsome 
head,  murmured  in  a  half  whisper,  "Really  Mrs.  Todd, 
I  had  never  dared  hope  for  so  speedy  a  renewal  of 

our " 

But  Dolly  interrupted  him: 

"Mr.    Madison,"   she   said  with   conviction,   "that 
never  happened." 

And  as  she  spoke  her  ankle  gave  her  such  a  twinge 
that  Madison  noticed  her  pained  expression  and  smiled. 

71 


72       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"No,  of  course  not!"  he  said.  "It  couldn't  have 
happened.  I've  said  that  to  myself  twenty  times  over. 
"It  didn't  happen,  nothing  so  delightful  ever  did  hap- 
pen or  could  happen  to  me!'  I  must  have  dreamed  it. 
Eh?  But  tell  me  how's  the  ankle?  Is  it  better?" 

Dolly  laughed  again  and  answered  him  in  kind  with 
another  question.  "Did  thee  lose  thy  supper?" 

"I  dreamed  I  did,"  said  Madison. 

"Thee  gentlemen  of  Congress  should  vote  the  walks 
kept  free  of  ice,"  said  Dolly. 

"Never  with  my  vote,  Ma'am!" 

"What!  Not  after  last  night's  accident?"  continued 
Dolly. 

"  'Twas  no  accident,  Ma'am."  'Twas  an  act  of 
Providence — a  dispensation  from  Above." 

"Well  thee  dost  startle  me!"  said  Dolly. 

"That's  the  belief  in  which  I  stand  here." 

"Sit  thee  down,"  said  Dolly. 

And  while  she  seated  herself  on  the  couch  he  sat 
opposite  her  at  the  table. 

"To-day's  attack  on  Colonel  Burr.  'Twas  all  against 
courtesy  and  reason."  Madison  went  on:  "My  im- 
pulse to  protest  'tho'  I  oppose  his  election.  His  extrav- 
agant thanks!  The  proffer  of  any  service  in  his  gift. 
And  this — interview.  It's  all  Providence !" 

"Seems  to  me,"  said  Dolly.  "Thee  helped  Providence 
a  bit.  In  any  case  thy  name  would  have  opened  my 
door  at  any  time." 

"Ah!"  said  Madison,  "You  see  how  I'm  forced  to 
pay  for  my  timidity." 

"The  world  calls  it,"  said  Dolly,  "by  a  sweeter  name. 
They  say  you're  merely  modest." 


MR.  MADISON  MAKES  A  DECLARATION   73 

"No  Ma'am,  I  know  my  deserts!"  replied  Madison. 
"But  one  doesn't  get  from  law  books  the  graces  of  the 
ball  room.  For  some  'tis  easier  to  frame  a  statute  than 
to  turn  a  compliment  and  if  I  feared  to  enter  here  'twas 
only  that — well  I  knew  you  were  sought  by  those  ut- 
terly beyond  me  in  the  ways  which  win  women." 

"Ah!  But  that  only  comes  with  practice!"  laughed 
Dolly. 

"Then  it's  a  gift  of  the  gods  denied  to  me,"  said 
Madison. 

"Surely  thee  wouldn't  exchange?"  she  asked. 

"Yes — and — no,"  said  Madison.  "There's  been 
times  when  I  thought  I'd  like  to.  Those  times  when 
I've  seen  you  of  an.  afternoon  in  the  fashion  parade, 
surrounded  by  all  the  famous  wits  and  beaux.  And 
when  I  noted  how  completely  their  temper  accorded 
with  your  own,  I  would  have  gladly  have  changed  places 
with  the  veriest  maccaroni  of  the  lot." 

"Don't  tell  it  Sir!"  protested  Dolly.  "Thee's  re- 
puted to  be  a  serious  man." 

"Most  unjustly." 

"  'Tis  no  demerit,"  said  Dolly. 

"I  know  no  greater  obstacle  to  the  favor  of  charming 
woman." 

Dolly  laughed,  put  her  head  on  one  side,  and  then 
said:  "Thee  should  remember  I  married  a  Quaker." 

"  'Tis  that  that  gives  me  courage,  Ma'am.  That 
beneath  his  broad  brim  you  saw  the  spirit  as  little  as 
your  own  gay  kerchief — else  I'd  never  dared  offer  my 
hand  and  heart,  nor  begged  to  prove  by  a  life  of  affec- 
tion and  devotion  that  I'm  vastly  more  human  than  my 
friends  allow." 


74       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"Why  sir,  you  amaze  me!"  exclaimed  Dolly  and 
her  face  was  almost  as  red  as  her  kerchief. 

"Myself  no  less,  Ma'am!"  declared  Madison. 

"  'Tis  a  declaration?" 

"That's  exactly  my  meaning." 

And  Madison  spoke  the  words  as  though  he  said 
them  from  his  soul. 

"Laws,  Sir!"  cried  Dolly  throwing  up  her  hands. 
"Ten  minutes  in  the  house  and  a  declaration!  You've 
made  a  wager — some  rakish  wager?  Supper  for  the 
company  at  the  Italian  Inn  or  Peg  Mullin's? — oysters 
and  champagne  wine — that  you  propose  to  Widow 
Todd  before  candle-light.  Come,  sir,  tell  me  the  truth. 
It  is  a  wager,  you  can't  be  serious." 

"More  than  wager,  Ma'am,"  said  Madison  earnest- 
ly. "It's  a  vow — a  vow  I  made  to  myself  last  night 
when  your  door  closed  between  us.  I  swore  to  myself 
then  that  if  ever  again  I  had  the  chance — 'though  it 
came  in  church,  street  or  market  place — even  if  the 
whole  world  looked  on  and  listened — I'd  speak  the 
words  that  quicken  my  heart  and  surge  to  my  lips  at 
every  thought  of  you — 'Love  me — and  be  my  wife.'  ' 

Dolly  suddenly  became  business  like.  "To  answer 
thy  bluntness  in  kind  Sir,  I  have  resolved  not  to  marry 
again." 

"Were  you  unhappy  last  time?"  asked  Madison, 
leaning  forward  solicitously. 

"Oh,  on  the  contrary,  Sir,  I  was  most  happy  with  my 
first  husband." 

"Then  what  better  tribute  to  a  sweet  memory  than 
to  seek  it's  renewal,"  cried  Madison.  "Persistent  wid- 
owhood is  a  poor  elegy." 


MR.  MADISON  MAKES  A  DECLARATION   75 

"My  dear  man  you'll  never  swing  for  want  of  an 
argument,"  cried  Dolly,  and  her  eyes  were  dancing. 
"That's  one  I  never  thought  of!" 

"I've  thought  of  twenty,  a  hundred,  to  persuade 
you,"  he  continued.  "I've  pondered  and  phrased  them 
'gainst  this  very  moment  that  I  felt  must  come.  Often 
mid  the  wrangles  of  Congress,  a  new  one  would  rush 
in  on  me  and  transfix  me  and  I  all  of  a  sudden  would 
find  myself  groping  helplessly  in  the  debate.  Why — 
even  as  I  toiled  and  troubled  over  the  Constitu- 
tion  " 

"Never!  Don't  tell  me  that!" 

"Yes!  Yes!  I  believe,  I  shame  to  say,  I  could 
point  to  this  clause  and  that  left  vague  and  uncertain 
only  because  my  wayward  thoughts  had  wandered  off 
to  you."  Of  a  sudden  he  leaned  forward  and  with  an 
air  of  reverence,  touched  her  hand.  "Ah !  dear  lady, 
believe  me,  I've  courted  you  long  and  fervidly." 

"I  hadn't  noticed  it,"  responded  Dolly,  as  she  looked 
away.  "  'Tho'  I  confess  sometimes,  now  and  then,  as  I 
passed  thee  in  the  street,  so  it  seemed  to  me — at  times. 
Now  and  then  but " 

He  had  drawn  closer  to  her  as  she  spoke. 

"Then  came  your  marriage  to  Jack  Todd,"  he  con- 
tinued. "The  thought  of  returning  here  each  season 
of  Congress  to  renew  at  every  sight  of  you — or  the 
mere  mention  of  your  name — the  memory  of  what  I'd 
missed  disturbed  me  utterly;  so  that  I  planned  to  wash 
my  hands  of  public  life.  I  was  only  dissuaded,  finally, 
by  our  good  friend  Mr.  Jefferson." 

"Who — like  the  wise  man  he  is — doubtless  sug- 
gested more  effective  consolations,"  exclaimed  Dolly. 


76       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"He  urged  even  larger  activities  in  the  public  ser- 
vice. He  spoke  of  a  place  in  his  cabinet  in  the  event 
of  his  election  to  succeed  Mr.  Adams.  Meanwhile,  he 
suggested  that  I  seek  fresh  distraction  by  travel  in 
strange  lands !" 

"Humph!"  sniffed  Dolly,  "and  so  thee  traveled  all 
the  way  to  Long  Island  and  a  fresh  distraction — in  that 
strange  land!  Was  she  pretty?" 

Madison  started;  his  jaw  fell.  "I  beg  of  you 
Ma'am,"  he  protested. 

"You  know  whom  I  mean,"  insisted  Dolly.  "Miss 
Floyd — was  she  pretty?" 

He  placed  his  hand  to  his  brow  as  though  to  jog  his 
lumbering  memory,  then  he  said,  "I— I  don't  recollect 
— "and  he  looked  at  her  meaningly — "now." 

"Was  she  clever?"  persisted  Dolly. 

"Well,"  admitted  Madison,  dubiously,  "she  had 
some  reputation  for  wit — in  Long  Island." 

"Blonde  or  dark?" 

"Yes — and — no,"  replied  Madison,  relaxing  into  his 
old  formula. 

"Well,  she  must  have  been  one  or  t'other  man. 
Unless  she  was  a  chameleon!" 

"Right,  Ma'am,  she  was,"  he  replied  confidently. 
"But  which,  I  swear  to  Heaven,  I  cannot  now  recol- 
lect." 

"Well,  her  eyes  then,"  continued  Dolly  relentlessly, 
"were  they  brown  or  black  or  gray — or  like  mine,  per- 
haps?" 

She  looked  straight  at  him  and  he  began  to  shake 
his  head. 


MR.  MADISON  MAKES  A  DECLARATION   77 

"They  were  not  like  yours  Ma'am,  or  I  shouldn't  be 
here." 

"Yes — yes — but  thee  must  remember.  Why  did  thee 
jilt  her?" 

"Jilt  her!    I?"  cried  Madison  in  surprise. 

"Yes;  gossip  says  you  jilted  her  for  wearing  rouge." 

"The  shoe's  on  wrong  foot,  Ma'am,"  answered 
Madison. 

"What!  Thee  don't  mean  she  jilted  thee,"  cried 
Dolly  indignantly.  "And  why  pray?  What  right  had 
the  minx  to  do  a  thing  like  that?" 

"For  the  best  of  all  reasons,"  laughed  Madison,, 
"She  met  someone  whom  she  preferred  to  me." 

"Reason  enough!"  said  Dolly,  "but  he  must  have 
been  a — paragon!" 

"No,  on  the  contrary  Ma'am.  He  was  a  parson 
and  he  played  the  forte-planer." 

"Laws!  What  taste!  A  man  at  the  forte-pianer!" 
cried  Dolly  disgustedly.  "When  she  might  have  had 
one  with  a  banjo!  The  forte-pianer!  'Tis  a  kind  of 
fancy  work.  I  see  now  that  thee  didn't  love  her." 

"Does  one  love  twice?"  queried  Madison. 

"  'What  better  tribute  to  a  sweet  memory,'  "  quoted 
Dolly,  mischievously. 

"Then  I  may  hope?"  he  asked  her  eagerly. 

She  shook  her  head  and  turned  half  from  him.  "No ! 
I  fear  not — but — give  me  time  to  think  it  over." 

"A  year  if  you  like — forever! — if  only  meanwhile 
you  marry  me,"  he  exclaimed. 

And  there  was  so  much  of  deadly  seriousness  in 
his  tone  that  Dolly,  for  all  her  whims,  could  not  quite 
find  it  in  her  heart  to  turn  him  the  cold  shoulder. 


78       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"I  dare  assure  you,  you'll  have  no  cause  to  regret 
it,"  he  went  on  with  feeling.  "All  that  my  great  love 
can  do  to  make  your  life  happy  and  all  that  my  poor 
gifts  can  do  to  make  your  life  splendid- — I  promise  ab- 
solutely. I  only  wish  I  could  tell  it  you,  less  bluntly 
and  in  a  less  awkward  way." 

Dolly  was  touched  at  last.  There  were  tears  in  her 
eyes  and  her  voice  quivered  as  she  answered,  laugh- 
ingly, ''Faith,  I've  heard  it  done  very  much  worse,  Sir! 
Thee  must  certainly  call  again." 

She  rose  and  held  her  hand  out  to  him.  • 

"Do  come  and  see  me  when  thee  returns  here  for 
the  next  Congress." 

"But  'twill  not  meet  here,  Ma'am,"  said  Madison 
aghast.  "The  next  Congress  will  be  in  the  new  Capi- 
tol in  Washington." 

"Ah !  yes,  I'd  forgotten.  Well  then,  when  this  Con- 
gress adjourns." 

"At  the  very  end?"  asked  Madison. 

"Not  an  hour  before,"  said  she  decisively.  "On  that 
I'm  resolved." 

"And  I  resigned,"  said  Madison.  "I  shall  keep 
away  until  the  Congress  rises  only,  I  swear  it!" 

She  shook  her  finger  at  him  warningly.  "  'TIs  not 
necessary,  Sir.  Thy  word  will  suffice." 

"And  yours,"  asked  Madison,  meaningly.  "If  you 
should  decide  before." 

"  'Tis  not  likely,"  she  laughed. 

"Ah!"  said  he,  "but  I  have  known  ladies  to  change 
their  mind." 

"Then,  I  will'  write  thee,'5  said  Dolly  as  though  to 
settle  the  matter. 


'ALL  THAT   MY  GKKAT  LOVK  CAN   DO  TO   MAKE  YOUR  LIKE  HAPPY  AND  ALL  THAT  MY  POOR 
GIFTS  CAN   DO  TO   MARK  YOUR   LIFE  SPLENDID— I   PROMISE   ABSOLUTELY" 


MR.  MADISON  MAKES  A  DECLARATION   79 

"Write!  dear  lady! "he  said  ruefully.  "Alas!  that 
simply  means " 

"No!  No!  It  doesn't,"  she  cried  impulsively,  "I 
assure  thee  on  my  honor  I've  no  such  thought  at  this 
moment." 

"Lord!"  said  Madison  with  a  world  of  fervor,  "if 
Congress  would  only  adjourn  this  moment!" 

"And  slight  the  nation's  business,  just  for  little 
thee  and  me.  Fie,  Sir,  you're  no  patriot!"  laughed 
Dolly. 

Madison  was  red  in  the  face  by  now;  he  was  almost 
stuttering  as  he  exclaimed: 

"What's  the  nation  to  a  man  in  love !     Rather  than, 

miss  this  moment  I'd — I'd "  he  started  for  the 

door,  then  suddenly  turned.  "What's  holding  them 
all  anyway?"  he  cried  in  an  indignant  tone,  "their  work 
is  done,  what's  the  delay?" 

"Thy  presence  might  hasten  matters,"  smiled  Dolly 
sweetly. 

"Thank  you  Ma'am,"  said  he,  as  he  took  her  hand, 
"  'Twas  sweet  of  you  to  recall  me  to  my  public  duty." 

"  'Twas  in  the  nation's  interest  only,  Sir.  Congress 
cannot  spare  it's  Mr.  Madison." 

"Thank  you,  Ma'am,  thank  you."  And  he  bowed. 
"But  you  will  send  me  word?" 

"Yes,  I  promise  thee." 

"The  very  moment?"  persisted  Madison. 

"Exactly  as  agreed,  Sir." 

"And  you'll  send  the  message,  where?  To  the  Hall 
of  Congress?" 

"Yes — yes,"  she  laughed,  "to  Fifth  and  Chestnut." 


80       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"No,  Ma'am.  To  my  lodgings — The  Indian  Queen. 
I  might  get  it  sooner." 

"As  you  choose,"  laughed  Dolly. 

"No,  better  yet,  Ma'am.  Send  to  both  places  so  one 
will  be  sure  to  find  me,  else  I'll  be  flying  between  them 
like  a  boy  at  tag.  You  will  send  to  both,  won't  you?" 

"Yes— yes." 

"And  now  if  you'd  only ,"  began  Madison. 

"Good Heavens,  man!"  cried  Dolly,  "It's  not  a  third 
message  you're  going  to  ask  me  for?" 

"No."  He  seized  her  hand  again,  "But  give  me 
some  assurance." 

Dolly  drew  her  hand  away.  "Laws,  man!  You 
asking  for  assurance!  Why  you've  got  it  and  to 
spare." 

"Ah!  but  listen,"  he  pleaded,  "if  you'd  only  prom- 


ise." 


"I'll  promise  thee  nothing  more,"  cried  Dolly,  "ex- 
cept that  till  thee  calls  again,  I'll  take  no  more  risks  on 
slippery  pavements." 

"  Tis  all  I  ask.  And  God  bless  you  lady!"  He 
kissed  both  her  hands  fervently  and  hurried  from  the 
room. 

Dolly  followed  him  to  the  front  door  and  stood 
there  watching  him  as  he  went  down  the  street.  As 
he  turned  the  corner  she  suddenly  burst  out  laughing. 

"He — timid!"  she  cried,  "My  eye  and  Betty  Mar- 
tin!" 


CHAPTER  VI 

MR.  JEFFERSON  TURNS  EMISSARY  AND  DOLLY  TODD 
LEARNS  A  DEAL  OF  POLITICS 


"Why,  man,  he  doth  bestride  the  world 
Like  a  Colossus,  and  we  petty  men 
Walk  under  his  huge  legs  and  peek  about 
To  find  ourselves  dishonorable  graves." 

— SHAKESPEARE — "Julius  Caesar* 


"Stood  for  his  country's  glory   fast 
And  nailed  her  colors  to  the  mast." 

— WALTER  SCOTT — "Marmion." 


But  his  cookery !     He  cut  our  roots 

In  characters, 

And  sauced  our  broth,  as  Juno  had  been  sick 

And  he  her  dieter. 

— SHAKESPEARE — "Cymbeline." 


"He  hangs  up  his  fiddle  behind  the  door " 

— Old  English  Song. 

BEFORE  Burr  had  escorted  Mistress  Sparkle  to 
her  carnage,  right  under  the  lee  of  that  vitu- 
perative dowager,  he  had  managed  to  whisper 
to  Dolly:    "Wait  up  for  me  to-night.    I  shan't  be  late. 
I'm  fairly  aching  for  a  chat  with  you.     I  know  you 
don't  want  to,  but  do  it  for  me!" 

And  now,  at  a  few  minutes  past  ten,  as,  candle  in 

81 


82       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

hand,  she  was  wending  her  way  upstairs  to  her  attic 
bedroom,  Dolly  had  decided  she'd  do  nothing  of  the 
kind.  She'd  teach  Ronnie  Burr  a  thing  or  two ! 

It  was  a  glorious  moonlight  night  and  just  for  a 
second,  as  she  reached  the  second  floor  landing,  she 
paused  at  the  big  window  to  take  a  look  at  the  moon. 
At  the  instant  she  did  so  a  pebble  hit  the  window. 
There  was  no  question  about  it.  The  moment  she  heard 
it  Dolly  knew  it  for  a  pebble.  Pebbles  had  been  thrown 
at  her  window  before!  But  like  a  true  woman  who 
finds  herself  alone  and  nearly  in  the  dark,  she  paused 
and  drew  herself  together  before  even  uttering  a  fright- 
ened "Oh!"  She  had  not  to  wait  long.  Ten  seconds 
later  another  pebble  some  sizes  larger  and  louder  than 
the  first  struck  the  glass  again.  Now  there  was  only 
one  place  from  which  a  pebble  could  be  thrown  which 
could  possibly  hit  that  window;  that  place  was  the  lit- 
tle area-way  which  ran  along  one  side  of  the  inn  next 
door. 

As  the  second  pebble  hit  the  window,  Dolly  blew  out 
her  candle  and  exclaimed,  "I'll  wager  I  know  who  that 
is!" 

Then  walking  fearlessly  forward  she  threw  open 
the  window.  Down  in  the  area-way  stood  a  shock- 
headed  giant  clumsily  attired. 

As  she  raised  the  window  one  of  his  giant  hands  was 
lifted  above  his  head  in  the  act  of  throwing  another 
pebble.  At  the  sound  of  the  opening  of  the  window 
he  paused;  his  huge  hand  dropped  to  his  side. 

"Why,  Mr.  Jefferson!"  cried  Dolly,  leaning  over 
the  moonlit  casement  like  a  more  modern  Juliet,  "How 
d'ye  do!"  My  congratulations,  Sir.  I  only  hope  that 


MR.  JEFFERSON  TURNS  EMISSARY       83 

I  am  the  first  woman  to  wish  you  good  luck  and  God 
speed." 

"I've  seen  to  that,  Dolly  Todd,"  he  laughed  gruffly, 
but  with  a  remarkably  good-natured  smile.  "That's 
the  whole  cause  of  my  present  condition.  I'm  the 
loneliest  man  in  the  United  States  to-night  and  the  hun- 
griest. I  was  desperate,  Dolly  Todd,  I  don't  know 
whether  you  expected  to  find  a  Romeo  or  a  house- 
breaker down  here  when  you  first  looked  out  but  as 
you're  to  blame  for  the  whole  affair  I'm  not  going.to 
offer  any  apologies.  If  you're  a  kind  hearted  land- 
lady you'll  unlock  your  door,  bid  me  enter  and  soothe 
my  ruffled  feelings  with  some  of  your  sage  remarks  and 
possibly  the  breast  of  one  of  your  cold  fowls." 

"Laws!  No  dinner!  Why,  Mr.  Jefferson,  do  you 
mean  to  say  on  such  a  night  as  this  you've  had  nothing 
to  eat.  Come  in,  Sir,  immediately.  Clotilde  and  the 
best  my  house  affords  will  be  at  your  service  on  the 
instant.  'Tis  an  honor  that  comes  to  few  landladies  to 
feed  a  President  of  the  United  States  on  the  night  of 
his  election.  Come  along  in!"  She  slammed  the 
window  down  and  hurried  below  stairs,  pausing  only 
to  give  a  few  brief  directions  to  Clotilde  before  she 
opened  the  door.  Mr.  Jefferson  was  already  on  the 
doorstep.  The  instant  the  door  had  closed  behind  him 
Dolly  clasped  his  great  freckled  paw  with  her  two 
dainty  hands. 

"Congratulations,  Sir,  again,"  she  said.  "  'Twas 
sweet  of  you  to  think  of  Dolly  Todd  on  a  night  like 
this." 

"And  is  that  all  I  get,  'on  a  night  like  this'?"  said 
Jefferson,  in  a  disappointed  tone.  "Why  I  used  to  have 


84       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

better  luck  down  at  Monticello  when  you  were  staying 
with  my  girls,  and  you  all  came  down  to  breakfast. 
Don't  I  get  a  kiss  to-night,  Dolly  Todd?" 

"Thee  certainly  does,"  and  suiting  the  action  to  the 
words,  she  reached  her  hands  up,  drew  his  great  red 
head  towards  her  and  kissed  him  enthusiastically — 
upon  the  forehead. 

"Oh!"  said  Jefferson,  rather  disgruntled.  "Well,  I 
suppose  I  shall  have  to  be  content  with  that." 

She  led  the  way  into  the  sitting-room;  closed  the 
door,  waved  him  towards  a  huge  arm-chair  in  front 
of  the  fire-place  and  then,  with  a  daintiness  which 
Clotilde  herself  could  not  have  excelled,  placed  a 
small  card  table  in  front  of  him  and  covered  it  with  a 
damask  table  cloth. 

"Thy  fowl  will  be  here  in  a  moment,"  said  Dolly 
"and  now  that  we're  comfortably  seated,  tell  me,  Sir, 
— seeing  it's  not  Lent  and  you're  no  Catholic — why,  to- 
night, did  you  fast  for  me?" 

"That's  simply  told,"  said  Jefferson.  "After  the 
fuss  and  the  riot  and  the  decision,  at  the  Hall  of  Con- 
gress, I  came  back  to  my  lodgings  next  door  a  very 
lonely  and  disgusted  man.  I  went  to  my  bedroom  and 
locked  my  door.  I  couldn't  play  my  fiddle  as  I  should 
have  liked  to  do  on  account  of  that  sweet  little  note  you 
wrote  to  me  asking  me  not." 

"But  why  were  you  disgruntled,  Sir?  On  a  day  like 
this  when  the  whole  people  have  bestowed  on  you  their 
greatest  honor!" 

"Honor  be  damned!"  said  Jefferson,  "Think  of  my 
garden!  Dolly,  you  know?  Think  of  what  Monticello 


MR.  JEFFERSON  TURNS  EMISSARY       85 

is  to  me !  How  much  am  I  going  to  see  of  it  or  of 
my  daughters  in  the  next  four  years?" 

"But  what's  a  garden?  What  are  daughters,  Sir, 
compared  to  being  President  of  the  United  States? 
Mr.  Adams,"  she  smiled,  "would  have  sacrificed  all 
the  gardens  and  all  the  daughters  on  earth  to  stand  in 
your  shoes  to-night,  Sir." 

"Well  they're  pretty  large  shoes,  Dolly,  and  they're 
often  unpolished.  I'm  afraid  they'd  prove  a  size  too 
large  for  Adams.  Besides,  he's  a  very  particular  man 
about  the  details  of  his  dress." 

"But  thee  hasn't  answered  my  question  yet,  Sir?" 
pursued  Dolly,  laughing.  "Why  on  this  day  of  jubila- 
tion did  thee  fast  for  me?" 

"Well,  I'll  tell  you,  Dolly,"  and  he  leaned  forward 
confidentially,  "This  is  the  way  of  it.  You  see,  at 
heart,  though  they  call  me  athiest,  I'm  really  a  very 
superstitious  man.  I  pick  up  old  nails  for  luck  and  I 
salute  the  new  moon  over  my  left  shoulder.  But  don't 
tell  anybody !  I  should  hate  to  have  my  enemies  think 
that  Tom  Jefferson's  a  human  being.  So  to-day 
the  idea  came  into  my  head  that  it  would  bring  God's 
help  and  good  luck  to  me  if  the  best  woman  I  knew 
should  be  the  first  to  congratulate  me.  That's  why 
I  mewed  myself  up  in  my  room.  That's  one  reason 
why  I  didn't  play  my  fiddle.  The  awful  sound  of  it' 
would  have  brought  crowds  of  enthusiasts  to  my  door 
and  if  I  dared  to  go  down  to  dinner  every  waitress  in 
the  room  would  have  been  congratulating  me.  So  I 
bided  my  time  and,  finally,  like  David  when  he  met 
Goliath,  I  sought  refuge  in  a  pebble." 


86       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"But  why  didn't  thee  come  to  the  front  door,  Sir? 
Sure  it's  always  been  on  the  latch  for  thee." 

"Ah,  but  in  that  case  Clotilde  would  have  fore- 
stalled you.  She'd  have  congratulated  me  first.  No, 
Dolly,  I  did  the  only  thing  a  wise  man  could,  I  took  no 
chances;  to  me  the  matter  was  of  too  great  importance." 

Dolly  pushed  her  chair  slightly  back  from  the  table 
and  surveyed  him  incredulously.  "Mr.  Jefferson,  you 
amaze  me,  Sir.  In  all  the  years  I  have  known  thee  and 
thy  dear  family  I  have  never  seen  thee  in  a  mood  like 
this.  I've  heard  thy  friends  and  enemies  call  thee  many 
things  but  no  one,  till  to-night,  has  ever  charged  thee 
with  being  a  flatterer.  Now  I  do.  'Tis  a  new  crime 
to  be  laid  at  thy  door,  Sir." 

"My  dear  girl "  and  he  leaned  back  and  ran  his 

fingers  through  his  great  shock  of  red  hair.  "A  little 
flattery  will  support  one  through  a  very  great  deal  of 
fatigue.  But  what  I've  said  to  you  to-night  has  been 
no  flattery.  I  mean  every  word  of  it.  You  and  I  are 
going  to  have  a  very  serious  confab  before  I  leave  this 
room.  Is  Mr.  Burr  home  yet?" 

"No,  he's  dining  out  to-night." 

"At  Jumel's,  eh?"  said  Jefferson  succinctly.  "They 
tell  me  that  woman's  got  a  cook  who  is  almost 
as  fine  as  my  French  chef  at  Monticello.  But  I've 
never  dined  at  her  house  yet  in  spite  of  many  invita- 
tions. You  see  I'm  getting  a  trifle  gouty  and  at  my  age 
one  has  to  be  careful.  I'm  glad  Burr's  there  to-night; 
that  insures  us  a  free  and  undisturbed  session.  He 
won't  be  home  'till  morning!" 

There  was  a  pause.  If  he  had  expected  that  Dolly 
was  going  to  resent  this  remark  he  was  disappointed  for 


MR.  JEFFERSON  TURNS  EMISSARY 

she  dropped  the  conversation  like  a  hot  coal  and  began 
plying  his  plate  with  more  salad.  Seeing  he'd  taken  a 
wrong  turn,  Mr.  Jefferson  tacked  away  in  another  di- 
rection. 

"You  said  something  just  now  that  interests  me, 
Dolly.  Tell  me  some  of  the  things  that  you've  heard 
my  friends  and  enemies  say  about  me." 

"Oh,  not  on  a  night  like  this,  Sir,"  protested  Dolly, 
raising  her  hand.  "Don't  let  us  destroy  a  happy  even- 
ing." 

"Huh!"  said  Jefferson.  "So  that's  the  lay  of  the 
land,  eh?  Evidently,  in  spite  of  my  election,  I'm  not  a 
popular  favorite." 

"I  don't  mean  to  infer  that,  Sir,"  laughed  Dolly, 
"But  every  public  man  makes  enemies.  What  would 
be  the  good  of  him  if  he  didn't?" 

"The  little  devil!"  said  Jefferson  to  himself,  "This 
Burr  affair  is  deeper  than  I  thought.  She's  taking  it 
out  on  me  now  on  account  of  what  I  said  about  Burr 
and  Jumel.  It's  the  Irish  in  her!  Well  let  her  go 
ahead;  it's  better  to  get  it  out  of  her  system." 

Then  to  Dolly,  he  said,  more  seriously:  "No,  but 
I'm  in  earnest.  You  had  the  cream  of  society  here  in 
your  rooms  this  afternoon.  Tell  me,  what  did  they 
say  of  me — the  bad  things  I  mean.  To  hell  with  the 
compliments !  Tell  me  some  of  the  things  it  would  do 
me  good  to  hear.  You  see,  Dolly  Todd,  we  public 
men  are  so  surrounded  by  parasites  and  sycophants  that 
it's  only  when  we  read  the  opposition  newspapers  that 
we  ever  hear  the  truth  about  ourselves.  Now  what  did 
Mistress  Sparkle  have  to  say  of  me,  for  instance?" 

"My  dear  Sir,"  said  Dolly,  with  some  show  of  dig- 


88       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

nity,  "you  can  scarce  expect  an  humble  land-lady  to  de- 
tail the  conversations  which  she  overhears  in  her  own 
drawing  room  from  her  paying  guests.  But  as  far  as 
Mistress  Sparkle  is  concerned,  I  haven't  the  slightest 
compunction,  knowing  full  well  that  every  word  the 
dear  lady  said  of  you  to-day  she'd  say  to  your  face 
to-morrow.  She  loves  to  set  people  by  the  ears." 

"She  certainly  does,"  laughed  Jefferson.  "Well 
come  now,  what  did  she  say  of  me?" 

"Well,  for  one  thing,  she  said,  'He's  an  athiest.'  ' 

Jefferson  threw  back  his  head  and  roared  with 
laughter.  "In  the  words  of  my  friend  James  Madi- 
son," said  he,  "'yes — and — no.'  But  to  Hell  with 
religion,  Dolly,  come  down  to  Hecuba,  didn't  she  say 
anything  worse  than  that?" 

"In  the  words  of  thy  friend,  Mr.  James  Madison, 
'Yes — and — no,'  "  replied  Dolly,  with  a  subtle  smile. 
"She  called  you  a  hypocrite  for  one  thing." 

"The  Devil  she  did!"  exclaimed  Jefferson,  taken  a 
bit  aback. 

"Oh,  yes,  Sir,"  said  Dolly  gushingly.  "And  she  was 
most  explicit  about  it,  naming  time  and  place  and  occa- 
sion. And  she  also  said — and  I  must  confess  that 
there  were  others  who  corroborated  her! — that  you  did 
not  scruple  to  use  spies  to  gain  your  end." 

"Oh!  Spies,  eh?  She  said  that,  did  she?  Well  you 
know,  of  course,  Dolly,  every  nation  must  have  its 
secret  service  and  as  your  friend,  Mr.  Burr,  is  so  fond 
of  saying,  'great  ventures  cannot  stand  on  small  mor- 
als.' '  Then  changing  the  subject  abruptly  and  assum- 
ing a  more  confidential  tone,  "By  the  way,  I  noticed 
you  quoted  Jemmy  Madison  just  now.  You  met  him 


MR.  JEFFERSON  TURNS  EMISSARY       89 

for  the  first  time  to-day.  He  must  have  made  an  im- 
pression. What  did  you  think  of  my  friend,  Dolly?" 

She  paused  for  just  a  second  before  answering,  then 
looking  her  questioner  squarely  in  the  eye,  replied: 
"I  found  him  gallant,  discreet  and  charming; — all  that 
a  man  should  be  who  is  to  become  a  member  of  the 
President's  Cabinet." 

"Do  you  mean  by  that,"  smiled  Jefferson,  "that  a 
man  must  be  gallant  in  order  to  be  in  my  Cabinet?" 

"I  think  it  would  lend  variety  to  it,  Sir,  said  Dolly. 
"  'Twould  lend  it  the  charm  of  contrast." 

"Her  Irish  is  still  up,"  whispered  Jefferson  to  him- 
self. "I  must  placate  her." — "Well  I'm  glad  you  think 
well  enough  of  him,  Dolly,  to  give  him  a  recommenda- 
tion. If  I  hadn't  intended  to  give  him  an  appointment 
before,  I  should  certanly  do  so  now.  But  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  with  one  exception,  Jemmy  Madison  will  be 
the  most  important  and  most  necessary  member  of  my 
Cabinet." 

"Ah,"  said  Dolly,  unconsciously,  falling  into  the  trap, 
"and  the  other? " 

Before  answering,  Mr.  Jefferson  smiled  sardonically. 
"Trust  a  woman's  curiosity  to  betray  her!"  he  said 
to  himself,  "the  minx  thinks  I  mean  Burr  and  she's 
bound  she'll  find  out." 

Then  he  said  aloud,  "Well  Dolly,  if  you'll  promise 
you  won't  tell,  I'll  impart  some  information.  You're 
the  only  soul  on  earth  I  would  tell.  It's  yourself." 

"Me?  "cried  Dolly  aghast. 

"You/' 

"But  since  when,  Sir,  have  women  been  admitted  to 


90       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

the  Presidential  Cabinet?  Laws!  we  are  to  have  in- 
novations in  the  Jefferson  regime." 

"I'm  talking  seriously,  Dolly.  I  never  was  more  in 
earnest  in  my  life.  Don't  let  us  haggle  or  evade  the 
issue.  I  am  confronted  with  the  most  tremendous  task 
which  has  ever  faced  a  man  on  this  continent — and  in 
all  the  due  respect  which  I  don't  usually  show  his  mem- 
ory, I  don't  except  General  Washington  himself.  I 
have  gone  into  this  thing  and  I'm  going  to  carry  it 
through.  But  it's  going  to  be  Hell,  Dolly.  Take  it  from 
me,  it's  going  to  be  Hell." 

The  seriousness  of  his  tone  infected  Dolly  immed- 
iately. From  that  time  on  she  threw  aside  all  trace 
of  flippancy  and  badinage.  Jefferson  had  risen  from 
the  table  and  with  his  great  hands  clasped  behind  his 
back  was  pacing  up  and  down  the  room.  Being  a  wise 
woman  Dolly  Todd  intuitively  gauged  the  seriousness 
of  the  situation  and  met  it  voluntarily  in  both  a  wise 
and  womanly  way.  It  was  Mr.  Jefferson  who  did 
most  of  the  talking  for  some  time. 

"Listen  to  me,  Dolly  Todd,"  he  said.  "I  am  here 
to-night  as  an  emissary.  If  I  was  ten  years  younger 
and  I  thought  that  you  could  throw  a  shred  of  love  to 
a  battered  old  hulk  like  me  I  shouldn't  be  here  as  an 
emissary  at  all,  I  should  be  here  as  a  suitor.  But 
that's  beyond  the  question !  Why,  the  youngest  of  my 
daughters,  Dolly,  is  at  least  a  year  older  than  you  are. 
So  let  that  pass !  But — in  a  way,  I  need  you  Dolly,  as 
really  as  ever  a  man  needed  a  woman.  Don't  think 
I'm  making  love  to  you;  I'm  not.  I'm  merely  gauging 
your  value  as  a  stateswoman.  You  don't  appreciate 
yourself,  Dolly  Todd.  I've  watched  narrowly  from 


"FOR   MY  S.\KK.  FOR   ALL  OUR  SAKKS.    FOR   THF.  NATION'S  SAKK.    1    WANT    YOU  TO  BE   'THH 
FIRST   l.ADY    IN   THH    LAND'" 


MR.  JEFFERSON  TURNS  EMISSARY       91 

the  days  when  you  were  knee-high  and  I've  seen  you 
become,  all  unknown  to  yourself,  a  very,  very  wonder- 
ful woman.  You  possess,  without  knowing  it,  that 
rarest  gift  which  God  ever  gives  to  a  human  being.  I 
don't  mean  charm  exactly — though  you've  got  that, 
God  knows! — and  I  don't  mean  brilliance  of  intellect 
nor  yet  subtlety  of  mind.  What  I  mean — as  nearly  as 
I  can  express  it  is, — you're  a  load-stone,  Dolly,  a  mag- 
net. You  draw  all  kinds  and  sorts  of  people  to  you 
and — often,  again  unknown  to  yourself! — you  meld 
and  mould  them  to  your  will.  And  it's  a  good  will;  a 
sweet  will,  for" — and  he  leaned  on  the  edge  of  the  ta- 
ble and  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  looked  down  at  her — 
"Dolly  Todd  you're  a  good  woman  and  what's  more  to 
my  purpose,  though  you  don't  know  it,  you're  a  great 
one.  Listen,  Dolly  dear,  it's  the  only  thing  I  have  to 
offer  a  woman  in  my  present  great,  but  lonely,  state" — 
he  placed  one  of  his  big  hands  on  her  little  one — "for 
my  sake,  for  all  our  sakes,  for  the  nation's  sake,  I  want 
you  to  be  the  'First  Lady  in  the  Land.'  ' 

The  tears  were  running  down  Dolly's  cheeks  by  this 
time  and  she  was  far  too  interested,  too  awed,  and 
too  uplifted  to  even  think  of  trying  to  wipe  them  away. 

"Mr.  Jefferson,"  she  gasped,  between  her  sobs, 
"what  am  I  to  say  to  thee  ?  You've  always  been  a  sec- 
ond father  to  me.  You've  loved  and  cared  for  me  as 
long  as  I  can  remember.  You've  treated  me  as  one  of 
your  own  daughters.  You  loved  my  mother  before  me. 
I  know  that,  Sir; — she  told  me  once — and  now,  after 
to-night  when  thee  comes  to  me  like  this,  there's  noth- 
ing in  the  world  that  Dolly  Todd  won't  do  for  you  that 
lies  within  her  power." 


92       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"Ah,  but  there's  the  rub!"  said  Jefferson,  changing 
his  tone,  "Dolly  Todd  can't  do  anything  for  me.  That's 
just  the  point.  I  always  did  hate  that  damn  name 
Todd,"  and  he  paced  the  floor  again.  "Believe  me, 
I  told  your  father  what  I  thought  of  him  when  he 
made  you  make  that  marriage.  He  ought  to  have 
been  hamstrung.  There's  only  one  thing  that  Dolly 
Todd  can  do  for  me,"  he  smiled  here  and  fixed  Dolly 
with  his  eye,  "and  that  is  to  consent  to  undergo  a 
process  of  elimination.  We  must  change  the  Todd  to 
Madison!" 

He  always  was  a  rather  crude  man,  Mr.  Jefferson, 
and  at  this  moment  the  abruptness  of  his  remark  was 
just  a  little  too  much  for  Dolly's  Irish  blood.  She 
sprang  to  her  feet  and  faced  him. 

"Pardon  me,  Sir,"  she  said,  "What  are  you  bring- 
ing me  by  proxy  to-night — A  proposal  or  a  portfolio?" 

"Now  you're  inconsistent!  There  you  go  again! 
How  like  your  dear  Irish  Mother!"  he  exclaimed,  ten- 
derly. 

Dolly  had  shown  him  enough  of  her  fine  mettle  for 
one  night  and  he  was  now  most  desirous  of  stroking 
down  her  ruffled  feathers. 

"But  there  now,  we'll  drop  Dolly  Todd  or  Dolly  any- 
thing else  for  the  moment.  I'll  be  conceited.  Let's 
talk  about  Me,  Do  you  know  the  greatest  thing  that 
ever  happened  to  me?  'Twas  those  years  I  spent  in 
France  as  the  American  Minister.  I  learned  more  in 
those  years,  Dolly,  than  I  have  acquired  of  real  knowl- 
edge in  all  the  other  decades  of  my  life.  I  went  abroad, 
1  accepted  that  mission  because  I  had  a  definite  end  in 
view.  I  wanted  to  equip  myself  to  be  an  American 


MR.  JEFFERSON  TURNS  EMISSARY       93 

statesman;  to  learn  how  to  be  a  pilot  who  could  guide 
my  country  safely  and  sanely  through  the  stormiest 
sea.  I  knew  there  was  only  one  way  for  me  to  get  that 
training  and  that  was  to  go  abroad;  to  see  how  the 
nations  of  the  old  world  conduct  themselves,  and  if  I 
say  it  myself,  Dolly,  I  don't  think  any  man  ever  la- 
bored harder,  ever  endured  more,  or  made  greater  sac- 
rifices than  I  did  in  the  learning  of  my  lesson.  You 
know  how  I  love  my  home,  Dolly.  I've  always  felt  tho 
one  thing  that  was  in  common  between  Washington 
and  myself  was  the  fact  that  we  were  both  farmers. 
He  was  a  country  squire  and  I  was — well — I  was  a 
farm-hand  if  you  like,  in  order  to  show  the  variance 
between  the  rest  of  our  two  natures — but  we  did  love 
the  country,  we  did  love  our  home.  So,  as  I  told  you,  I 
went  abroad,  and  I  learned  many  things.  I  saw  the  wis- 
dom of  monarchies  and  the  folly  of  them.  I  got  what 
I  went  after  and  now  I  feel  it  is  my  duty  to  utilize  my 
knowledge  for  the  good  of  the  American  people.  It's 
going  to  be  a  terrible  dose  of  castor  oil,  Dolly,  but  they 
will  have  to  swallow  it  if  they're  going  to  allow  Thomas 
Jefferson  to  be  their  President.  I  wonder  if  you  realize 
that,  as  a  country,  we  are  far  more  Royalist  and  Tory 
now  than  we  used  to  be  in  the  days  when  we  were  a  de- 
pendency— a  string  of  colonies,  before  the  days  of  the 
Revolution.  It's  ridiculous,  it's  absurd,  it's  idiotic,  it's 
damnable !  No  wonder  the  Europeans  and  the  English 
sneer  and  laugh  at  us  when  they  see  the  airs  and  graces, 
the  fripperies  and  furbelows  which  we're  putting  on.  I 
don't  care  to  speak  any  ill  of  the  dead,  Dolly,  but  did 
you  ever  see  one  of  General  Washington's  state  proces- 
sions in  New  York?  God!  what  a  harlequinade!  With 


94       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

his  great  coach  drawn  by  six  grey  horses,  painted  a 
glowing  white  in  honor  of  the  occasion,  and  dear  Lady 
Washington  at  the  receptions  on  her  little  dais,  per- 
suading herself,  poor  soul!  that  she  was  far,  far  more 
than  a  queen.  Dolly  Todd,  I'll  make  you  a  promise 
now," — and  he  held  his  long  left  arm  out  as  though 
uttering  a  prophecy — "Wait  until  I  go  to  the  White 
House  for  my  inauguration — I'll  show  them !  I'll  teach 
them  the  methods  of  a  true  republican !  The  shock  may 
kill  a  good  many  of  them  including  that  arrant  bastard 
Tory,  Mr.  Alexander  Hamilton.  But  they'll  have  to 
stand  for  it  The  White  House,  when  I  take  possession 
of  it,  will  become  the  Nation's  House— a  place  where 
no  man  is  to  be  marked  inferior  to  any  other,  where 
every  guest  at  table  will  be  the  equal  of  every  other 
guestr^When  I  have  anything  to  say  about  it,  the  princi- 
ple of  our  society,  as  of  our  Government,  shall  be  the 
quality  of  the  individuals  composing  it  and  to  maintain 
that  principle  and  to  put  down  the  growth  of  social  in- 
equality is  going  to  be  the  damndest  task  that  Thomas 
Jefferson  has  ever  had  to  do." 

Jefferson  reached  into  the  inside  pocket  of  his  coat 
and  drew  forth  a  letter  which  had  already  been  directed 
but  not  sealed.  Opening  it  he  said  to  Dolly,  "This 
morning,  over  in  my  room  in  the  Inn,  when  I  was  feel- 
ing like  the  Devil  himself,  so  distraught  and  nervous 
that  I  couldn't  sit  still  and  I  couldn't  play  the  fiddle 
because  you  had  forbidden  me  to  on  account  of  your 
damned  English  boarder " 

"Why,  but  Mr.  Jefferson,"  protested  Dolly,  "if  I'd 
only  known  the  circumstances  I'd  have  given  thee  a 
special  dispensation.  Thee  should  have  fiddled  as  long 


MR.  JEFFERSON  TURNS  EMISSARY       95 

as  Nero  did  when  Rome  was  burning  if  I'd  have  known 
thee  was  suffering  from  nerves." 

"Well,  scorn  my  fiddling  as  much  as  you  will  Dolly, 
but  you  must  admit  it's  been  a  great  recreation  for 
great  men  ever  since  cat-gut  was  invented.  Do  you 
know  who  taught  me  to  play  the  fiddle,  Mrs.  Todd?" 
No?  Well,  let  me  digress  for  just  a  moment  then  and 
inform  you.  The  man  that  taught  me  the  fiddle  was 
one  of  the  greatest  orators  that  America  will  ever 
know." 

"But  he  didn't  orate  on  the  fiddle  surely!"  exclaimed 
Dolly,  as  though  wonders  would  never  cease. 

"He  certainly  did  not,"  continued  Jefferson.  "They 
used  to  say  of  us,  in  Congress  years  and  years  ago, 
that  there  was  only  one  man  in  America  who  could  play 
the  fiddle  as  vilely  as  Thomas  Jefferson  and  that  was 
his  teacher,  Patrick  Henry.  However,  that's  neither 
here  nor  there,  Dolly,  we're  talking  politics  now.  As  I 
was  saying:  As  you  wouldn't  let  me  play  my  fiddle  this 
morning,  I  suddenly  thought  of  my  old  friend  the  Ital- 
ian, Senor  Mazzei,  a  great  scientist  who  used  to  live 
in  Virginia,  a  neighbor  of  mine  at  Monticello  long 
ago.  We've  lost  sight  of  each  other  for  years  so  I  sat 
down  and  wrote  him  a  letter  to-day.  It  will  be  worth 
your  while  to  listen  to  it,  my  dear,  for  it  may  enlarge 
your  political  horizon.  This  is  what  I  wrote  to  Maz- 
zei: 

"  'The  aspect  of  our  politics  has  wonderfully  changed 
since  you  left  us.  In  place  of  that  noble  love  of  lib- 
erty and  republican  government,  which  carried  us  tri- 
umphantly through  the  war,  an  Anglican  Monarchical 
Aristocratal  party  has  sprung  up,  whose  avowed  object 


96       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

is  to  draw  over  us  the  substance,  as  they  have  already 
done  the  forms,  of  the  British  government.  The  main 
body  of  our  citizens,  however,  remain  true  to  their 
republican  principles;  the  whole  landed  interest  is  re- 
publican, and  so  is  a  great  mass  of  talents.  Against  us 
are  the  Executive,  the  Judiciary,  two  out  of  three 
branches  of  the  Legislature,  all  the  officers  of  the  Gov- 
ernment; all  who  want  to  be  officers,  all  timid  men, 
who  prefer  the  calm  of  despotism  to  the  boisterous  sea 
of  liberty.  British  merchants,  and  Americans  trading 
on  British  capital,  speculators  and  holders  in  the  banks 
and  public  funds,  a  contrivance  invented  for  the  pur- 
pose of  corruption,  and  for  assimilating  us  in  all  things 
to  the  rotten  as  well  as  to  the  sound  part  of  the  British 
model.  It  would  give  you  a  fever  were  I  to  name  to  you 
the  apostates  who  have  gone  over  to  these  heresies, — 
men  who  were  Samsons  in  the  field  and  Solomons  in  the 
council,  but  who  have  had  their  heads  shorn  by  the 
harlot  England.'  " 

"What  do  you  think  of  that,  Dolly?" 

"It  sounds  like  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
Sir,  though  it's  not  so  polite." 

Jefferson  winced  a  little  and  looked  at  her  quizzi- 
cally, out  of  the  corner  of  one  eye.  For  at  least  half  a 
mintue  there  was  a  silence.  He  was  evidently  waiting 
for  Dolly  to  express  herself  further;  but  that  young 
woman  would  have  bitten  her  tongue  off  first.  She 
knew  the  value  of  a  waiting  game.  Finally  it  was  Mr. 
Jefferson,  not  Dolly,  who  returned  to  the  charge  and 
when  he  spoke  his  voice  was  both  winning  and  tender. 
"Now  can't  you  see  my  predicament,  my  girl?  Now 
can't  you  comprehend  why  I  need  you?  You  have  the 


MR.  JEFFERSON  TURKS  EMISSARY       97 

social  instinct,  marvelously  developed.  You  don't  know 
it  but  you  have.  Without  her  learning,  you  are  Amer- 
ica's Madame  De  Stael,  but  you  have  a  gift  greater 
than  any  she  possesses;  you  can  make  sworn  foes  leave 
your  drawing-room  the  best  of  friends.  It's  a  gift  be- 
yond price,  Dolly;  a  heritage  above  rubies.  I  can  get 
many  diplomats,  many  soldiers  to  fight  my  political  and 
national  battles  but  it's  only' you,  Dolly,  with  your  in- 
finite tact,  your  native  wit,  your  good  nature  and  your 
warmness  of  heart  who  can  pour  oil — or  tea  leaves — on 
the  troubled  carpets  of  my  drawing-rooms.  Come  on 
now,  dear,  be  a  good  girl!  Marry  Madison." 

She  sprang  to  her  feet  and  faced  him  with  blazing 
eyes. 

"I'll  do  nothing  of  the  sort,  Sir.  Just  to  prove 
how  fine  an  adopted  father  and  how  bad  a  born  diplo- 
mat you  are  I  tell  thee  now  and  I  mean  it,  I'm  going  to 
marry  Mr.  Burr!" 

"Don't  break  my  heart  as  well  as  my  Administration, 
Dolly,"  he  said  in  a  low  voice.  "I  know  you  don't 
mean  what  you  say,  girl.  I've  been  uncouth  in  my 
handling  of  you.  You're  angered  and  you're  half  Irish 
and  as  a  result" — he  held  a  finger  out  and  pointed 
it  at  her — "I  can  see  it  in  your  eyes  already,  you're 
sorry  that  you  said  that." 

"How  dare  thee  say  that  to  me,  Sir!  Why  not  call 
me  a  liar  at  once?" 

"I  would  in  a  moment  if  I  thought  that  would  pre- 
vent you  from  marrying  Aaron  Burr.  You  know  him 
as  well  as  I  do,  Dolly  Todd;  better  perhaps,  yes — far 
better!  But  back  of  all  the  charm  of  him  and  the 


9 8       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

bravery,  the  fascination  and  the  braggadicio  you  know 
he's  a  dangerous  man." 

"I  know  nothing  of  the  sort,  Sir,"  said  she,  "to  me 
and  to  mine,  Colonel  Burr  has  always  been  the  soul  of 
honor.  I  possess  no  better  friend  in  the  world,  not 
excluding  yourself,  and  laying  all  argument  aside,  Sir, 
don't  you  think  that  to-night  of  all  nights,  the  name 
of  Mr.  Burr  should  be  sacred  both  to  you  and  to  me. 
He's  my  paying  guest;  my  boarder,  my  second  floor 
front,  but  don't  let  yourself  forget,  Sir,  that  this  very 
day  our  people  have  appointed  him  your  second  in 
command." 

As  a  parting  thrust  she  added:  "Strictly  between 
ourselves,  Mr.  Jefferson,  thee  knows  as  well  as  I  that 
by  the  mere  lifting  of  his  little  finger  he  could  have 
become  the  President  himself." 

"That's  perfectly  true,  Dolly,  corroborated  Jeffer- 
son frankly,  "I  do  know  that  and  to  me  it  has  been 
the  most  extraordinary,  the  most  inexplicable  move 
that  I've  ever  known  Burr  to  make.  It's  worried  me 
considerably  but  until  I  discover  his  motive  I'm  just 
as  willing  as  anyone  else — in  fact  I  want  to  be  the  very 
first — to  proclaim  his  magnanimity." 

"  'Tis  a  strange  method  you're  using,  Sir,"  said 
Dolly  haughtily,  "  'Tis  even  more  deadly  than  faint 
praise." 

But  if  Dolly's  shaft  struck  Mr.  Jefferson  he  showed 
no  signs  of  it.  He  was  busy  with  another  idea. 

"By  the  way  Dolly — in  strict  confidence,  of  course — 
speaking  of  our  friend  Mr.  Burr  and — God!  how  his 
ears  must  be  burning  by  this  time ! — have  you  ever 
heard  him  mention  a  country  called  Mexico?" 


MR.  JEFFERSON  TURNS  EMISSARY      99 

"And  if  I  have,  what  of  it,  Sir?" 

"Oh!  Nothing,  nothing,"  said  Jefferson  as  if  wav- 
ing the  matter  aside,  "only  it's  just  occurred  to  me — 
by  Jove  !  I  believe  I've  struck  it — Mexico — magnini- 
mity;  and  they  begin  with  the  same  letter,  too!  Has 
it  ever  occurred  to  you,  Dolly  Todd,  that  his  love  of 
Mexico  and  his  magninimity  towards  me  might  be,  in 
a  measure,  merged?" 

"Do  you  mean "  began  Dolly. 

Mr.  Jefferson  raised  his  hand. 

"I  mean  did  it  ever  occur  to  you  that  by  becoming 
the  President  of  the  United  States  Mr.  Burr  would 
have  had  to  relinquish  all  chance  of  obtaining  his 
heart's  desire,  the  conquest  of  Mexico?" 

"But  what's  the  difference,  Sir?  As  Vice  President 
is  he  not  equally  bound?" 

"Wait  and  see,  girl,"  said  Mr.  Jefferson  soothingly, 
"Let  us  wait  and  see.  In  the  meantime,  Dolly,"  as  he 
rose,  "I  think  I'll  be  saying  good-night  to  you  before 
you  turn  me  out  of  the  house.  I'm  afraid  you've  found 
me  more  of  a  thistle  than  a  friend  to-night.  But  we  all 
have  our  moods,  Dolly,  and  whatever  we  may  think 
of  each  other  now,  we  know  each  other  so  well  that 
we'll  both  have  forgotten  all  about  it  in  the  morning. 
Don't  bear  me  any  ill-will,  dear  girl,  for  you  know  that 
whatever  I've  said,  however  uncouthly  expressed,  it's 
all  come  from  the  heart." 

"Of  course  I  know  that,  Mr.  Jefferson,"  exclaimed 
Dolly,  who  feeling  that  she  was  the  mistress  of  the 
situation  just  now  could  well  afford  to  smile.  "What- 
ever you've  said  to  me  I  know  well  has  come  from 


ioo       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

your  heart.  But  there's  some  terribly  flinty  spots  in  that 
heart  for  some  of  my  friends  it  seems  to  me." 

Jefferson  laughed,  rather  uneasily  as,  in  his  usual 
awkward  way,  he  shambled  towards  the  door. 

"You're  a  marvel  Dolly,  you  are  a  marvel !  There's 
a  devil  in  you  as  well  as  an  angel  and  I'm  not  politician 
enough  to  solve  which  is  in  the  majority."  He  pulled 
out  his  watch  and  looked  at  it.  "Good  God!"  he  ex- 
claimed, "It's  nearly  two!  That  Jumel  woman  cer- 
tainly does  keep  late  hours." 

It  was  a  parting  and  a  Parthian  shot,  but  Dolly 
evaded  it  serenely. 

"You've  been  splendid  to-night  Mr.  Jefferson,"  she 
said,  "In  spite  of  our  disagreements, — splendid  is 
the  only  word!  Your  theories  have  been  magnificent, 
Sir." 

"Theories?  What  do  you  mean  girl?"  said  Jeffer- 
son, almost  gruffly.  "Theories?  Why,  good  God! 
woman,  I've  been  giving  you  absolute  facts." 

"Facts  that  may  be,  Sir;  but  they're  still  in  embryo. 
Thy  task  is  just  double  that  of  Alexander's?" 

"Alexander's?  What  do  you  mean  Dolly  Todd? 
Don't  begin  handing  me  riddles  at  this  late  hour.'* 

"Remember  your  ancient  history,  Sir.  Alexander  set 
out  to  conquer  the  world — so  have  you — this  new 
world,  the  United  States.  But  in  addition  you've  got 
a  woman  to  conquer  too.  And  her  name's  still  Dolly 
Todd." 

"Well  I'll  be  damned!"  said  Mr.  Jefferson,  and  he 
turned  on  his  heel. 

"And  remember  this,  Sir,  always,"  laughed  Dolly 
from  the  door-way.  "If  ever  I  marry  to  go  to  the 


MR.  JEFFERSON  TURNS  EMISSARY     101 

White  House  'twill  be  for  a  double  purpose; — to  serve 
thee  faithfully  while  you  are  there  and  get  thee  out  as 
soon  as  possible  to  make  way  for  my  husband.  And  as 
far  as  that  part  of  the  bargain  goes,  Sir,  'twill  make  no 
difference  whether  my  husband's  name  begins  with  a 
B.  or  an  M." 


CHAPTER  VII 

MR.  BURR  STAYS  OUT  LATE,  is  DULY  REPROVED, 
AND  HEARS  OF  DREAMS  AND  THINGS 


Then  fill  the  fair  and  honest  cup,  and  bear  it  straight  to  me; 
The  goblet  hallows  all  it  holds,  whate'er  the  liquid  be; 
And  may  the  cherubs  on  its  face  protect  me  from  the  sin, 
That  dooms  one  to  those  dreadful  words, — uMy  dear,  where  have 
you  been?" 

— HOLMES — "On  Lending  a  Punch-Bowl." 


"Far  from  gay  cities  and  the  ways  of  men." 

— POPE — "The  Odyssey." 


I  had   a  dream  of  thee, 

Oh !  it  was  sad  as  desert  plain, 
Mournful  as  midnight  sea, 

Yet-  'tho  it   haunted  me  by  night, 
And  troubled  me  by  day, 

It    touched    all    things    with    spirit   light 
And  glorified  my  way. 

— Old  English  Ballad. 

MR.  JEFFERSON'S  footsteps  had  scarcely  died 
away.     Dolly  had  but  snuffed  out  half  the 
candles  when  there  was  the  rattle  of  a  door 
key  and  in  walked  Burr.    His  face  broke  into  smiles  at 
the  sight  of  Dolly  standing  in  the  dimly  lit  drawing 
room  and,  according  to  custom,  he  took  all  the  credit 
for  her  being  there  to  himself. 

"This  is  a  surprise !     To  think  of  your  waiting  up 
all  this  time  for  me.    By !" 


102 


MR.  BURR  STAYS  OUT  LATE         103 

"Don't  think  of  it.  I  didn't,"  said  Dolly  brusquely, 
as  she  made  towards  the  stairs.  "Don't  flatter  yourself 
either.  I  gave  up  waiting  for  thee,  Ronnie  Burr,  long 
long  ago.  To-night  I've  been  cultivating  vastly  more 
important  company.  President's  been  here!" 

"What!  Jefferson?  Holding  his  first  cabinet  meet- 
ing, eh?  And  without  me!  How  exclusive  of  him! 
Did  he  inquire  for  the  Vice  President?" 

"He  didn't  need  to.  He  knows  thy  haunts  and, 
even  he,  has  heard  of  the  fame  of  her  chef,"  replied 
Dolly.  "But  don't  look  penitent  now.  I've  no  re- 
proaches for  thee.  I've  already  told  thee  'twas  not 
the  chance  of  seeing  thee  that  kept  me  up." 

"Ah  !  But  Dolly,  be  generous !"  cried  Burr  coaxing- 
ly.  "Give  me  half  a  minute  at  least — particularly  when 
I  assure  you  that  it  was  on  your  account  I  stayed  so 
late." 

"Listen  to  the  man !  On  my  account.  My  eye  and 
Betty  Martin !  How'll  you  ever  make  me  believe  that  ? 
In  the  first  place  thee  knows  I  don't  know  the  woman. 
And  in  the  second,  I  don't  wish  to." 

"All  the  same,  'twas  on  your  acount  I  tarried, 
Dolly.  God's  truth  it  was !  I  stayed  to  get  you  some- 
thing, something  which  when  I  hand  it  to  you  I  know 
you  will  value  highly — not  'cause  it  came  from  poor  A. 
Burr,  a  mere  vice-president  elect:  but  because  it  comes 
to  you,  through  me,  from  a  very  famous  man — a  mere 
lad  to  be  sure,  full  of  all  the  cock  suredness  and  arro- 
gance ot  youth,  but  a  genius  for  all  that.  And  one 
whom  you  admire  monstrously."  He  paused  and 
began  to  whistle  significantly,  "Believe  me  if  all  those 
endearing  young  charms " 


104       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"Hush!  Thee'll  have  all  the  boarders  awake!" 
cried  Dolly,  entirely  missing  the  point  of  his  song. 
"First  thing  we  know  Sir  Anthony  will  be  on  top  of  us 
in  his  flannel  night  shirt.  If  he  hears  one  strain  of 
that  whistle  of  thine  he'll  raise  twice  the  fuss  he  did 
when  poor  Mr.  Jefferson  merely  played  the  fiddle. 
But  this  gift  that  you  bring  me?  My  curiosity's 
aroused.  Surely  now,"  she  asked  with  feigned  eager- 
ness, "it  couldn't  be  some  work  of  art  from  the  hand 
of  Mr.  Madison?" 

"I  said  genius,  Dolly,"  replied  Burr  with  a  trace 
of  annoyance.  "That  acquits  Jemmy  Madison  surely. 
But  don't  let' s  quarrel  about  it.  You'll  be  charmed 
with  it,  I  know,"  he  continued  with  his  usual  sang 
froid  and  his  boldest  smile.  "In  fact,  my  dear,  when 
you  see  it  you'll  agree  that  we  should  preserve  it  with 
the  utmost  care  and  bequeath  it  to — our  grandchil- 
dren." 

"Laws !  You  are  taking  things  for  granted,  Ronnie 
Burr!"  exclaimed  Dolly  in  spite  of  herself. 

She  was  half  way  up  the  stairs  by  now,  and,  leaning 
forward,  reached  on  white  arm  towards  him  as 
though  to  grasp  the  unknown  gift.  "Give  it  to  me, 
for  I'm  half  asleep.  I'll  hear  thy  explanation  in  the 
morning." 

But  Burr  was  not  to  be  dismissed  so  easily.  He 
retreated  to  the  fire-place  where  a  mass  of  embers 
was  still  aglow.  In  his  right  hand  he  held  a  sheet  of 
manuscript,  and  as  Dolly  made  her  plea  he  planted 
himself  with  legs  wide  apart  on  the  hearth  rug,  both 
his  hands  behind  his  back.  It  was  a  position  which  he 
intended  should  indicate  plante  la! 


MR.  BURR  STAYS  OUT  LATE         105 

"No,  my  child,  this  is  a  gift  which  has  a  preface," 
he  began.  "Preface  must  be  delivered  first.  That 
will  take  time — five  minutes  at  least.  Come  and  sit 
down,  Dolly.  You  won't  regret  it.  It's  an  historical 
night  in  both  our  lives.  And  in  any  case  'twould  be 
a  shame  to  miss  such  a  fire  as  this.  Then  remember 
too,  we  haven't  had  a  chat  together  for  a  week.  Come 
on,  Dolly  dear!" 

There  was  a  wheedling  tone  to  the  man  which  Dolly 
couldn't  resist  for  the  life  of  her.  As  a  preliminary 
to  capitulation  she  yawned  violently. 

"But  I'm  so  tired!"  she  exclaimed.  "And  then  too, 
I'm  weary  of  listening.  Seems  to  me  I've  done 
nothing  else  all  this  day.  I'd  like  to  chatter  myself 
for  a  bit  and  get  some  of  my  mental  complications 
off  my  mind.  But  stir  the  fire  up,  Ronnie,  if  I've 
got  to  sit  down  and  listen  to  you." 

"There  we  are!  Cozy  as  can  be!"  he  cried  as 
she  slipped  down  into  the  big  arm  chair  and  he  stood 
facing  her  on  the  hearth  rug.  "Now  who's  to  con- 
fess first?" 

"Better  finish  thine  first,"  said  Dolly,  "and  as  you 
are  a  good  lawyer,  for  heaven's  sake,  make  thy  story 
brief." 

All  of  a  sudden  Burr  burst  out  laughing.  There 
was  no  stopping  him  for  a  moment,  and  Dolly  looked 
both  furious  and  perplexed. 

"What  might  the  joke  be?"  she  asked  loftily,  when 
at  last  he  had  sobered  down. 

"I  was  laughing  at  you,  child.  Think  what  a  dear 
little  hypocrite  you  are  with  those  'thees'  and  'thous' 
of  yours  which  slip  off  as  easily  as  your  Quaker 


io6       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

kerchief  or  an  H  off  a  cockney's  tongue,  and  wh:ch 
come  and  go  with  as  much  facility  as  your  sweet 
Irish  complexion — when  you've  forgotten  to  put 
on  the  rouge.  Dolly,  you  never  were  meant  to  be 
a  Quaker,  and  the  good  God  who  gave  you  that 
coloring  never  intended  that  you  should  hide  it  in 
the  paint  pot.  You're  one  of  the  few  women,  Dolly, 
who  needs  no  affectation."  » 

"My  cheeks  are  my  own  to  do  with  as  I  will,  Mr. 
Burr,"  said  Dolly  tartly.  "As  for  my  vocabulary, 
if  it  does  not  please  thee  I've  no  doubt  that  at  a 
word  from  you,  your  friend  Mr.  Hamilton  would 
gladly  expunge  it." 

"Well,  then,  'thee'  and  'thou'  me  as  much  as  you 
like,  Dolly,"  he  laughed,  "only  please  don't  send  me 
to  bed.  But  to  my  story!  There  was  quite  a  big 
party  at  Madam  JumePs  to-night — New  Yorkers, 
nearly  all  of  them.  You  know,  the  usual  crowd!  The 
Livingstons,  the  Boudinots,  Gouverneur  Morris,  Lady 
Kitty  Duer,  looking  lovely  in  her  weeds " 

"Ah!  Ha!"  interrupted  Dolly,  "still  another  widow 
for  you  to  set  your  cap  at,  eh?" 

"Well,"  continued  Burr,  good  naturedly  ignoring 
her  remark,  "with  them  were  two  of  the  most  brilliant 
lads  I've  encountered  since  I  left  college.  It  made 
me  young  to  converse  with  them — it  really  did !  One 
of  them,  a  lad  of  twenty  or  so,  a  New  Yorker,  was 
Washington  Irving,  who  is  studying  for  the  bar,  and 
who  is  by  way  of  being  a  bit  of  a  novelist  too.  That 
lad  will  go  far,  I  feel  sure.  But  it  was  the  other  one, 
an  Irish  boy  just  turned  twenty-two,  who's  recently 
arrived  here  from  England  by  way  of  Bermuda, — 


MR.  BURR  STAYS  OUT  LATE         107 

he's  the  one  that  would  have  interested  you!  Think 
of  it,  Dolly!  Just  turned  his  majority  and  already 
hailed  the  foremost  poet  of  his  country  and  his  time !" 

"Thee  don't  mean  to  say  that  it's "  exclaimed 

Dolly. 

"I  assuredly  do,"  broke  in  Burr.  "It  was  young 
Thomas  Moore,  as  large  as  life — the  lad  who  wrote 
your  beloved  'Believe  me.'  Some  of  the  English 
nobility  have  obtained  for  him  a  post  in  Bermuda,  but 
when  he  reached  there  he  liked  the  island  so  little  that 
he  promptly  hired  a  deputy  and  is  now  returning  home 
by  the  next  packet.  Meanwhile  the  Livingstons  and  a 
lot  of  other  New  Yorkers  have  been  entertaining  the 
lad.  Young  Irving  brought  him  over  here  to  see 
something  of  the  election.  He's  enjoyed  himself  so 
much  in  Philadelphia  that  he's  scrawled  some  verses 
in  honor  of  the  town  and — well,  here  they  are,  Dolly! 
Each  woman  at  the  table  had  set  her  heart  on  getting 
the  script,  but  I  had  taken  time  by  the  forelock. 
Before  we  sat  down  I  had  made  him  promise  that 
he'd  give  the  script  to  me  to  give  to  you.  'Twould 
have  done  your  heart  good  to  see  the  rage  of  all  the 
women.  They  were  so  furious  that  they  almost  for- 
got their  manners — but  they  didn't.  At  least,  not 
until  the  moment  when  I  told  them  that  I  was  going 
to  give  the  script  to  you.  Shall  I  read  it  aloud? 
They're  really  charming  verses,  Dolly,  though  not,  of 
course,  quite  up  to  his  highest  standard." 

"Please  do!"  cried  Dolly,  who  was  all  excitement 
now.  She  would  have  found  it  hard  to  say  which  had 
pleased  her  most;  the  gift  of  his  poem  or  the  fury 
which  its  giving  had  caused  to  her  pet,  though  un- 


io8       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

known  enemy,  Madam  Jumel.  "I'll  forgive  thee  a 
whole  lot  for  this,  Ronnie  Burr!  Read,  man,  read 
it  to  me." 

LINES. 

Thomas  Moore. 
Written  on  leaving  Philadelphia. 

Alone  by  the  Schuylkill  a  wanderer  roved. 

And  bright  were  its  flowery  banks  to  his  eye. 
But  -far,  very  far  were  the  friends  that  he  loved, 

And  he  gazed  on  its  flowery  banks  with  a  sigh. 

Oh  Nature,  though  blessed  and  bright  are  thy  rays, 
O'er  the  brow  of  creation  enchantingly  thrown 

Yet  faint  are  they  all  to  the  lustre  that  plays 
In  a  smile  from  the  heart  that  is  fondly  our  own. 

Not  long  did  the  soul  of  the  stranger  remain 
Unbless'd  by  the  smile  he  had  languished  to  meet ; 

Though  scarce  did  he  hope  it  would  sooth  him  again, 
Till  the  threshold  of  home  had  been  press'd  by  his  feet. 

But  the  lays  of  his  boyhood  had  stol'n  to  their  ear, 
And  they  loved  what  they  knew  of  'so  humble  a  name; 

And  they  told  him,  with  flattery  welcome  and  dear, 
That  they  found  in  his  heart  something  better  than  fame. 

Nor  did  woman — oh  woman!  whose  form  and  whose  soul 
Are  the  spell  and  the  light  of  each  path  we  pursue; 

Whether  sunn'd  in  the  tropics  or  chill'd  at  the  pole, 
If  woman  be  there,  there  is  happiness  too: — 

Nor  did  she  her  enamoring  magic  deny, — 
That  magic  his  heart  had  relinquish'^  so  long, 

Like  eyes  he  had  loved  was  her  eloquent  eye, 
Like  them  did  it  soften  and  weep  at  his  song. 

Oh,  bless'd  be  the  tear,  and  in  memory  oft 
May  its  sparkle  be  shed  o'er  the  wanderer's  dream; 

Thrice  bless'd  be  that  eye,  and  may  passion  as  soft, 
As  free  from  a  pang,  ever  mellow  its  beam ! 

The  stranger  is  gone — but  he  will  not  forget, 
When  at  home,  he  shall  talk  of  the  toils  he  has  known, 

To  tell,  with  a  sigh,  what  endearments  he  met, 
As  he  stray5  d  by  the  wave  of  the  Schuylkill  alone. 

"  'Tis  a  pretty  poem!"  said  Dolly  when  Burr  had 


MR.  BURR  STAYS  OUT  LATE         109 

finished  reading.  "I  hope  Mr.  Moore  will  remember 
it  and  not  go  attacking  our  manners  and  our  ways 
when  he  gets  home  again  as  most  of  these  visiting  for- 
eigners do  after  we  have  entertained  them  well!  I 
shall  have  the  poem  framed."  She  continued  mean- 
ingly: "Then,  as  I  never  again  intend  to  marry,  I 
shall  leave  it  in  my  will  to  your  daughter  Theodosia's 
little  boy  Grampillo,  as  you  call  him.  Thus  your 
grandchild  will  inherit  it  surely  enough, — and  without 
inconvenience  to  me!" 

"Ah!  If  only  you  could  see  my  little  Grampillo 
once!"  laughed  Burr  enthusiastically.  "You'd  adore 
him !  Dolly,  I  assure  you  there  never  has  been  such 
a  'child  since  the  world  began.  You  know  well  how 
I  have  always  loved  children.  You  know  how  I 
adore  Theodosia,  and  how  she  worships  me.  Well, 
it's  simply  fabulous — almost  unbelievable  the  fascina- 
tion which  that  little  youngster  has  for  both  of  us. 
When  Grampillo  is  with  us — I  call  him  that  because 
it's  as  near  to  pronouncing  'Grandpapa'  as  he  has 
been  able  to  get — when  that  child  is  with  us,  Theo- 
dosia has  no  eyes  for  me,  nor  I  eyes  for  her.  As 
for  her  husband,  why  I've  told  Joseph  Ralston  a 
thousand  times  already  that  he's  the  only  man  I  envy 
on  the  top  of  the  earth — to  be  the  father  of  such  a 
boy  as  Grampillo!  Yes,  Dolly,"  he  added,  suddenly 
changing  his  tone,  "if  you  do  remain  a  widow,  it  must 
go  to  Grampillo  by  all  means.  Otherwise  you'll  have 
to  marry  me  for  the  poem's  sake — so  that  it  will  be 
sure  to  reach  its  ultimate  destination!  In  the  mean- 
time here  we  are,  Dolly,  sitting  up  late  and  anticipating 
history  in  front  of  a  gloriously  cozy  fire." 


no       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

He  held  his  hands  out  to  the  fire  light  and  then 
rubbed  them  together. 

"Could  any  sane  persons  wish  for  any  better  fate 
than  that?  'Pon  my  word,  Dolly,  I'm  so  happy  I've 
almost  forgot  that  I've  just  been  elected  Vice  Presi- 
dent" 

"And  what  sort  of  a  history  are  you  going  to  make 
for  yourself  as  Vice  President,  Ronnie  Burr?"  asked 
Dolly  in  a  tone  which  conveyed  considerable  doubt 
as  to  the  sincerity  of  his  intentions. 

"Who  can  tell  what  history'll  do  to  any  of  us?"  ex- 
claimed Burr.  "That's  one  of  the  things  that's  not  in 
our  keeping.  It's  in  other  hands  than  ours,  Dolly,  and 
no  matter  what  they  say,  be  it  good  or  evil,  we  won't  be 
here  to  deny  or  to  corroborate.  Just  the  same,"  he 
added  with  a  jolly  laugh,  "I  should  like  to  hear  what 
they'll  be  saying  and  writing  of  you  and  me  a  hundred 
years  from  now.  As  far  as  our  obituaries  go,  I  can  see 
them  just  as  plainly  as  though  they  were  lying  here 
printed,  with  black  borders,  on  the  table  at  this  moment. 
'You  married  for  the  second  time  in  the  early  twenties: 
I  for  the  second  time  in  the  earliest  forties.  We  both 
lived  happy  ever  after,  of  course — that  goes  without 
saying,  as  we  married  each  other! — And  we  lived 
till  a  very  ripe  old  age.  What  think  you  of  the  nar- 
native,  Dolly?'  " 

"As  far  from  the  truth  as  obituaries  usually  are! 
I  think  that  in  obituaries,  as  well  as  in  many  other 
departments,  you're  a  very  bad  prophet,  Ronnie 
Burr!"  said  Dolly  seriously.  "As  for  thee,  I'm  no 
prophetess,  but  I  tremble  to  think  what  history  will 
be  saying  of  you,  Ronnie,  a  hundred  years  hence — or 


MR.  BURR  STAYS  OUT  LATE         in 

even  ten  years  hence,  for  the  matter  of  that! — if 
you  don't  get  that  crazy,  mad,  blundering  Mexico 
enterprise  out  of  your  head." 

"Ah!  But  Dolly,  if  you'd  only  listen!  If  you'd 
only  let  me  explain,"  he  cried,  now  suddenly  all  eager- 
ness. "Think  of  it!  A  new  Empire:  a  Kingdom  all 
our  own!" 

"And  what  in  the  name  of  heaven  has  a  Vice  Presi- 
dent of  these  United  States  to  do  with  a  new  king- 
dom, pray?"  she  asked  indignantly.  "'Twill  be  quite 
a  new  Jeffersonian  policy,  I'm  sure — and  one  that  he'll 
see  to  it  you  have  some  trouble  in  carrying  out.  Take 
it  from  me,  Ronnie  Burr:  they're  watching  thee  like 
hawks  already — all  of  them — Hamilton,  Adams,  Jef- 
ferson, every  one  of  them,  I  say — and  each  for  his 
own  ends.  And  here  are  you,  the  newly  elected  Vice 
President  ready  and  eager  to  play  straight  into  your 
enemies'  hands  from  a  sense  of  sheer  bravado,  pure 
Quixotry,  utter  childishness!  You're  a  soldier,  you're 
a  gentleman  and  you're  a  lawyer,  Ronnie  Burr,  but 
neither  God  nor  the  Devil  at  his  worst  ever  decreed 
that  thee  should  become  a  politician.  There  are  two 
things  which — mark  my  words! — will  be  the  ruin  of 
thee,  body  and  soul,  if  thee  pursues  them:  thy  insane 
hatred  of  Hamilton  and  thy  mad  love  for  this  Mex- 
ico— which  will  never,  never  be  thine!" 

"But  listen,  Dolly!  Just  a  moment!"  said  Burr, 
now  thoroughly  serious.  "What  you  say  is  neither 
fair,  nor  just.  You're  the  only  woman  in  the  world 
whose  advice  I  would  listen  to,  because  I  know  that 
you  give  it  for  my  good,  and  because,  well — perhaps 
you  may  never  admit  it — but  all  the  same  I  know  that 


ii2       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

deep  down  in  your  soul  you  love  me  more  dearly  and 
in  a  different  way  from  any  one  else.  But  let's  get 
at  the  bottom  of  things.  Mexico,  I  admit:  yes,  I 
love  Mexico:  to  conquer  her  and  to  be  her  conqueror 
I  am  willing  to  chance  my  life,  my  future,  everything 
in  my  career.  For  that  end  I'd  become  an  Ishmael, 
even  a  Lucifer;  yes — by  God! — to  own  Mexico  I 
believe  if  it  were  possible  I'd  sell  my  soul.  All  that 
I  admit.  But  don't  charge  me  with  hating  Hamilton. 
Because  that's  not  true;  it's  false,  and  you  know  it 
is,  Dolly.  You  wouldn't  have  said  that  if  you  had 
weighed  your  words  at  all.  Because  you  know  better 
— you  know,  just  as  well  as  I  do,  that  all  the  personal 
attacks  have  come  from  Hamilton.  He  may  hate  me 
perhaps;  but  certainly  I  don't  hate  him.  In  politics, 
at  the  bar,  in  our  old  military  days  we  have  been 
rivals  always,  but  I  at  least  have  never  been  Hamil- 
ton's foe.  Privately,  as  you  know,  we  have  been 
the  best  of  friends.  It's  true  many  small  and  petty 
things  he's  said  to  have  said  have  been  brought  back 
to  me;  but  knowing  the  many  bitter  and  uncharitable 
things  which  have  been  said  of  me,  and  knowing  as 
I  do,  how  false  most  of  them  have  been,  I  pause  before 
judging  any  man  now  upon  hearsay  evidence  From 
me  Hamilton, — as  I  would  do  for  any  old  friend, — 
will  always  have  the  benefit  of  the  doubt.  Until  I 
know — until  I  know!  That,  of  course,  would  be  a 
different  matter.  Meanwhile,  I  don't  hate  Hamilton, 
believe  me.  Why,"  laughing  suddenly  as  an  idea  came 
into  his  mind,  "to  prove  what  I  say,  listen,  Dolly. 
At  this  very  moment  I  am  in  Sandy  Hamilton's  debt 
to  the  amount  of  six  hundred  dollars.  'Twas  bor- 


MR.  BURR  STAYS  OUT  LATE         113 

rowed  at  least  two  years  ago,  and  I'd  forgotten  all 
about  it  till  this  very  day.  But  it's  all  right,  Dolly. 
It  was  between  friends.  Hamilton's  never  mentioned 
it;  I'll  say  that  for  him!  Do  you  think  that  I'd  allow 
myself  to  owe  money  to  n  man  I  hate?" 

Dolly  was  on  her  feet  before  he  had  finished.  Her 
face  had  gone  white;  her  eyes  were  blazing.  As  she 
gazed  in  mixed  amazement  and  anger  at  Burr  she 
looked  far  more  like  a  mother  in  some  fit  of  righteous 
indignation  towards  her  son  than  a  woman  who  was 
little  more  than  half  his  age  in  years.  She  was  furious 
with  the  man  because  she  loved  him  and  could  not 
bear  to  see  him  treat  himself  with  such  arrant  dis- 
respect. 

"How  much  money  have  you  in  the  house  to-night, 
Ronnie?"  she  asked  sternly.  "If  you  haven't  as  much 
as  six  hundred  dollars  I'll  lend  you  the  balance  till 
the  morning.  Oh!  don't  let's  mince  matters,"  she 
exclaimed  sarcastically,  as  she  saw  him  wince  at  her 
proposal,  "I'll  see  that  you  pay  me  back  quick  enough. 
I'm  no  Hamilton!  And  at  compound  interest,  too, 
if  I  feel  so  disposed.  But  one  thing  thee  shall  do 
this  very  night.  Pay  Hamilton,  and  pay  him  now, 
if  you  ever  want  me  to  speak  to  thee  again.  I  can 
stand  all  sorts  of  idiots  but  a  fool.  Thee  may  draw 
thine  own  inferences.  They  won't  be  wrong.  To 
play  into  an  enemy's  hand  like  that!  What  madness' 
Lucky  for  you  he  was  gentleman.  We  must  always 
thank  his  forbears  for  that!  Go  get  your  money  now 
— if  you've  got  it?  Have  you?" 

"Plenty  upstairs  in  my  chest;  and  if  I  hadn't  I 
could  give  him  a  note." 


ii4       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"No  notes  in  this  matter,  please!"  said  Dolly,  rais- 
ing her  hand  authoritatively.  "You'll  pay  him  cash. 
And  don't  say  that  the  hour's  too  late  to  go  to  him. 
Thee  knows  as  well  as  I  do  that  Hamilton  writes  until 
long  past  dawn.  His  house  is  just  around  the  corner, 
his  study's  on  the  ground  floor,  so  you've  merely  to 
tap  on  the  window  and  he'll  open  the  door  himself." 

Burr,  obedient,  but  just  a  little  nettled,  was  now 
on  his  way  upstairs  to  the  "second  floor  front."  But 
over  the  banisters  he  could  not  resist  throwing  this 
slightly  sneering  sally: 

"It  seems  to  me,  Dolly,  that  you  have  rather  an 
intimate  knowledge  of  Sandy's  habits." 

"Perhaps  I  have;  but  that's  none  of  your  business," 
snapped  Dolly.  "'Tis  no  occasion  for  insinuations 
from  you,  if  thee  please.  You  seem  to  forget  that 
I  know  his  wife  and  his  daughter,  Angelica,  as  well 
as  I  know  myself.  And  if  I  didn't,  they're  good 
habits — Hamilton's  are — far  better  than  thine,  let 
me  tell  thee !  He  at  least  had  the  good  grace  to  put 
the  Jumel  woman  once  and  for  all  in  her  proper  place. 
To  be  sure,  'twas  his  wife  made  him  do  it,  but  I'll 
give  him  credit  for  the  act  just  the  same!" 

"Fie!  Fie!  Dolly,"  exclaimed  Burr,  pausing  on  the 
stairway,  "why  dig  up  that  silly  old  scandal?  If  it 
ever  occurred  at  all,  it  happened  ages  ago  when  she 
was  the  young  and  inexperienced  Mrs.  Croix." 

"Inexperienced!  That  hussey!  My  eye  and  Betty 
Martin!  As  I  live,  Ronnie  Burr,  that  woman,  from 
the  day  when,  as  a  child,  she  sold  flowers  on  the 
Providence  docks,  has  embraced  the  entire  Army 
and  Navy, — to  say  nothing  of  what  she's  done  to 


MR.  BURR  STAYS  OUT  LATE         115 

the  Diplomatic  Corps !  In  those  days,  Mistress 
Sparkle  tells  me,  she  was  mixed  up  in  so  many  divorce 
suits  they  called  her  the  'Intervention  of  Providence' ! 
No  wonder  Betsy  Hamilton  put  her  foot  down  hard. 
I'd  have  skun  her  alive  if  I'd  been  in  her  shoes.  But 
don't  you  stop  to  talk  scandal.  Run  along  and  get 
your  money,  and  just  thank  God  that  there's  one 
woman  left  alive  who  dares  to  give  you  good  advice 
— and  see  that  you  carry  it  out,  too !" 

Two  minutes  later  when  he  came  downstairs,  his 
notes  in  his  hands,  an  entire  change  had  swept  over 
Dolly.  She  was  leaning  back  in  the  arm  chair  as 
Burr  approached,  and  instantly  he  saw  that  she  was 
crying.  The  tears  were  running  down  her  cheeks. 
He  started  to  say  something  sympathetic,  but  she 
lifted  her  hand  and  stopped  him. 

"Don't  say  anything.  Don't  notice  it.  I'm  just 
nervous,  that's  all,"  she  explained  as  she  dried  her 
eyes.  "And  for  nights  and  nights  I've  been  having 
such  horrible  dreams." 

"Dreams!"  echoed  Burr.  "Why,  what  have  bad 
dreams  to  do  with  a  dear  woman  like  you,  who 
hasn't  got  a  care  in  her  head?" 

"Hasn't,  eh?"  sniffed  Dolly,  resenting  the  re- 
mark. "Then  all  I've  to  say  is  that  if  they're  not 
in  my  head,  there  must  be  a  goodly  crowd  of  them 
perching  on  top  of  my  Quaker  bonnet.  There's 
always  the  four  of  us  involved  in  these  dreams — you 
and  Hamilton,  the  Jumel  woman  and  me — they  never 
get  anywhere;  half  the  time  Jf  can't  remember  what 
we  did  when  I  awake — but  there's  always  the  same 
horrible  feeling  when  I  open  my  eyes,  and  the  same 


n6       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

terrible  conviction  that  it's  all  coming  true.  Last  night 
it  was  worse  than  ever.  But  for  once  neither  Ham- 
ilton nor  Madam  Jumel  were  there.  There  was 
only  thee  and  I,  Ronnie.  Sit  down  for  a  minute.  I 
must  tell  thee  this.  Hamilton  can  wait  for  his  money 
for  another  ten  minutes." 

He  sat  down,  pulled  his  chair  towards  her  and 
began  to  stroke  her  hand,  which  lay  on  the  arm  of 
the  chair. 

"Was  I  with  you  in  this  last  bad  dream?"  he  asked 
as  gently  as  though  putting  the  question  to  some  little 
child.  "Were  we  together?" 

"No,"  she  sobbed.  "That  was  the  worst  of  it. 
We  seemed  to  be  worlds  and  worlds  apart.  I  could 
see  myself  so  clearly  I  I  had  grown  older — not 
actually  old,  you  know,  but  at  least  ten  or  twelve  years 
older  than  I  am  now — it  was  in  Washington,  at  the 
White  House." 

"Were  you  alone  there?  Who  was  with  you?"  he 
asked  almost  jealously. 

"There  was  no  one,  except  a  few  old  servants — 
slaves  of  my  Father's,  I  suppose.  I  remember  they 
were  all  very  old  and  negroes.  I  don't  know  whether 
I  was  married  or  single.  In  fact,  I  know  scarcely 
anything,  except  that  there  was  a  war  going  on — we 
were  fighting  the  English — I  could  see  Sir  Anthony 
Merrys  everywhere,"  she  smiled,  "and  the  report  was 
that  they  were  moving  on  the  White  House  and  were 
going  to  burn  it  down,  and  there  I  stood,  with  the  old 
slaves,  in  front  of  Mr.  Washington's  picture — I  could 
see  Gilbert  Stuart's  signature  on  it  as  clearly  as  I  can 
see  thy  face  now,  Ronnie — and  there  I  was  with  both 


MR.  BURR  ST4YS  OUT  LATE         117 

my  hands  trying  frantically  to  tear  it  down,  while 
within  my  bodice — securely  pinned  and  making  me 
feel  stout  and  most  uncomfortable  for  all  that — nestled 
'gainst  my  breast  the  Declaration  of  Independence." 

"And  where  was  I  all  this  time?"  said  Burr  softly, 
almost  as  though  he  feared  to  arouse  Dolly  from 
another  dream. 

"No,  thee  was  not  with  me,  because  I  called  to 
thee,  remembering  even  in  my  dream  that  thee  had 
always  promised  that  at  my  call  thee  would  come  to 
me  from  the  ends  of  the  earth.  But  you  couldn't 
come — that's  all  there  is  about  it,  Ronnie;  you  were 
thousands  and  thousands  of  miles  away  in  some  for- 
eign land,  moving  from  place  to  place,  it  seemed, 
feted  like  a  prince  at  one  moment,  then  penniless,  a 
fugitive,  hunted,  alone,  always  going  on,  on,  on  and 
always  away  from  the  things  you  loved!  Once — but 
that  would  make  thee  laugh,  Ronnie,  and  it  might 
make  thee  furious!  I'll  tell  thee,  though,  when  I've 
finished  my  first  dream.  Well,  at  last  we  got  a  knife 
and  I  cut  the  picture  out  of  the  frame,  and  the  slaves 
carried  it  away  to  safety.  Then  the  English  came — 
droves  of  'em  from  all  directions  at  once — and  after 
eating  up  all  my  pies  and  my  peach  preserves,  the 
scoundrels  burnt  the  White  House  down  about  their 
heads.  I  saw  the  flames  shooting  heavenward  from  a 
long  way  off  in  the  country  somewhere  where  I  was  try- 
ing to  beg  a  bed.  For  I  was  a  fugitive  and  all  alone,  just 
like  thee,  Ronnie — and  that  seemed  to  make  another 
bond  between  us!  But  all  the  time  too  my  heart  was 
aching  for  some  one  who  was  away  at  the  front 
fighting  the  British  somewhere.  I  don't  know  who 


u8       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

it  was — couldn't  see  him  even  in  my  mind's  eye.  It 
may  have  been  another  you,  Ronnie — but  whoever 
he  was  I  was  preposterously  fond  of  the  man!  Then 
I  remember  a  woman  threw  me  out  of  her  farm  house 
and  then  for  years  and  years  and  years,  it  seemed, 
I  stood  on  a  hill-top  watching  myself  grow  older  and 
older  till  I  was  just  a  happy  pippin-cheeked  old  lady 
with  many  dear  good  friends  surrounding  me,  and 
walking  always  in  the  paths  of  peace.  Then  almost 
at  the  end  of  all,  Ronnie,  when  I  was  so  old  that  I  had 
almost  lost  my  sense  of  humor,  something  happened 
which  made  me  almost  laugh  myself  back  into  my 
youth." 

"That  sounds  cheerful.  Tell  us  the  joke,  Dolly," 
said  Burr  rather  sardonically.  "So  far  your  dreams, 
my  dear,  have  been  decidedly  glum." 

"Well,  first  I  must  go  back  to  my  dream  of  thee 
again.  Somehow  at  length  the  two  seemed  to  merge 
into  each  other,"  exclaimed  Dolly,  who,  by  this  time, 
was  once  more  as  merry  as  a  cricket.  "The  first  laugh 
thy  dream  gave  me  was  once  when  I  called  to  thee 
and  thee  was  in  the  streets  of  London.  And  what  do 
thee  imagine  thee  was  doing,  Ronnie  Burr?" 

"What?" 

"Thee  was  peddling  false  teeth  for  sixpenny  apiece 
to  try  and  scrape  enough  money  together  to  pay  thy 
passage  back  to  America." 

"Well,  at  least  my  trade  was  honest  and  my  in- 
tention seaworthy!"  laughed  Burr.  "But  the  joke 
at  the  other  end  of  the  dream  now:  tell  me  that. 
'Twill  have  to  be  a  whopper  of  a  joke  to  beat  this  one, 
Dolly." 


MR.  BURR  STAYS  OUT  LATE         119 

"Oh,  but  it  is  a  whopper — though  not  of  my  mak- 
ing!" cried  Dolly.  "  'Twas  just  one  of  those  dreams 
which  will  come  to  a  woman  when  she's  got  an  Irish 
sense  of  humor  which  she's  not  ashamed  to  use  either 
waking  or  sleeping!" 

"Sure  you  hadn't  one  eye  open  when  you  dreamed 
this,  Dolly?"  said  he  skeptically,  "I  begin  to  sus- 
pect this  joke  must  be  a  rough  one  on  A.  Burr." 

"Yes — and — no,"  replied  Dolly,  slyly  mimicking 
Madison's  tone.  "I  myself  should  consider  'twas 
rather  rough  on  thee,  but  I  dare  swear  that  there's 
at  least  one  other  woman  who  wouldn't  agree  with 
me  at  all.  But  this  I  promise  thee,  I  dreamed  it. 
That  I'll  swear!  Promise  you  won't  be  angry  now?" 

"Angry!  What  nonsense,  girl.  Why  should  you 
and  I  quarrel  about  a  dream?" 

"And  thee  won't  say  I  told  it  to  thee  for  spite,  or 
anything  small?  For  really,  Ronnie,  I  warn  thee,  'tis 
a  trifle  vexatious." 

"On  with  the  story,  woman,  or  your  friend  Mr. 
Hamilton  won't  be  paid  till  he's  had  his  breakfast," 
laughed  Burr. 

"Well,  here  goes,  then!"  cried  Dolly.  "And  don't 
forget  that  thee  implored  me  to  tell  thee.  Otherwise, 
I'd  have  dropped  the  subject.  Well" — and  she  paused 
aggravatingly  to  draw  a  long  breath — "after  I'd  seen 
thee  selling  spurious  teeth  through  the  streets  of  Lon- 
don, I  saw  thee  once  more.  This  was  when  I  was  up 
on  the  hill-top  watching  myself  develop  into  a  grand 
and  fat  old  lady.  This  time  you  were  an  octogen- 
arian, Ronnie:  thee  must  have  been  every  day  and 
night  of  eighty.  But  thee  were  well  favored  still, 


120       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

a  handsome  devil  yet!  Thee  had  the  same  sweet 
smile — though  for  all  I  know  to  the  contrary,"  she 
laughed,  "thee  may  have  been  wearing  a  set  of  thy 
own  false  teeth.  Anyhow,  the  same  sweet  smile  was 
there,  and  the  same  hellish  way  with  all  women." 

"How  did  you  know  that?  What  women  were 
there?  You  haven't  filled  in  your  picture,  Dolly." 

"Wait  a  moment,  Ronnie  Burr:  don't  anticipate:  it 
might  humble  your  pride,"  replied  Dolly  with  the  air 
of  a  seeress.  "I  speak  of  that  which  I  heard  and  saw 
— in  my  dream — and  I'll  tell  thee  accordingly  if  thee'll 
have  patience.  How  do  I  know  you  still  had  charms 
for  the  fair?  That  was  simple  enough!  There  you 
stood  on  the  porch  of  a  great  old  mansion  somewhere 
in  the  woods  outside  New  York:  a  clergyman  stood  in 
front  of  you,  the  Holy  Book  in  his  hands,  and  hanging 
on  the  arm  of  thee  was  thy  bride  to  be.  For  'twas 
thy  latest  wedding  day,  Ronnie  Burr,  and  not  a  soul 
was  there,  not  even  myself,  to  forbid  the  banns!" 

"But  the  bride — wasn't  it  you,  Dolly  dear — the 
little  old  lady  from  the  top  of  the  hill?" 

"Ah !  no,  Ronnie !"  she  answered  softly.  "My  good 
man,  whoever  he  was,  had  gone  home  years  before. 
But  I  stood  true  to  his  memory  all  the  way  down  the 
hill  side."  Then  changing  her  tone  completely  she 
said: 

"The  woman  beside  thee  was  Madam  Jumel." 

"Good  God!"  cried  Burr,  turning  white  and  spring- 
ing to  his  feet.  "Dolly,  you've  carried  this  fairy  tale 
too  far!  There's  a  limit  to  even  my  endurance.  You 
must  be  mad — not  merely  dreaming!" 

"Ronnie  Burr,"  and  Dolly  held  both  hands  up,  "be- 


MR.  BURR  STAYS  OUT  LATE         121 

fore  God — and  as  I  hope  to  some  day  marry  the  man 
I  love  best — I  swear  to  you  that  I  dreamed  all  that 
I  am  telling  thee — and  more!" 

"More!"  laughed  Burr,  who  by  this  time  had  re- 
covered himself.  "Of  course,  after  such  an  oath  as 
that  no  suitor  for  your  hand  could  dare  to  doubt  you. 
And  damme,  Dolly,  that  is  the  worst  of  it — if  you'll 
pardon  me  for  using  an  oath  before  you,  for  the  first 
time  in  my  life — I  do  believe  that  you  dreamed  every 
word  you  say.  Well,  what  happened  then?  I  suppose 
you're  going  to  tell  me,  of  course,  that  we  lived  happy 
ever  after — or  at  least  as  long  as  Old  Father  Time 
would  allow!" 

"Nothing  of  the  sort — you  didn't,"  laughed 
Dolly.  "No  respectable  honeymoon  could  have  been 
shorter.  Thee  quarreled  over  money  matters  in  less 
than  three  months  time,  and  she  got  a  divorce  and 
resumed  her  former  name.  But,  meantime,  on  the 
day  of  your  marriage,  as  soon  as  the  news  got  abroad, 
one  old  woman  brought  suit  for  breach  of  promise, 
and  a  young  one  named  thee  as  her  child's  father." 

"Poor  things!  That  was  the  custom  I  inspired  in 
them  early  in  life.  You  seem  to  have  made  me  go 
through  a  great  deal,  Dolly — in  thy  dreams!  Thank 
God  it's  no  worse,  though.  Even  at  eighty  it  would 
seem  I  am  still  able  to  give  a  fairly  good  account  of 
myself." 

"  'Rakish  to  his  latest  day'  would  be  a  good  epitaph 
for  thee  if  all  I've  dreamed  ever  comes  true,"  laughed 
Dolly.  "Now  trot  along  to  Hamilton's,  for  'tis  after 
three,  and  even  an  owl  like  him  will  be  going  to  bed. 
I'm  so  glad  we've  had  this  talk,  Ronnie" — and  she 


122       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

put  her  hand  on  his  arm  as  though  to  hold  him  for  a 
minute — "changes  are  coming  quickly  to  all  of  us.  With 
Congress  closed  now,  and  the  quick  move  to  Washing- 
ton coming  we'll  be  scattered  in  all  directions.  God 
knows  when  we'll  have  another  chance  like  this.  And 
don't  forget  the  dreams,  Ronnie,  whenever  thee  begins 
again  to  set  thy  heart  on  Mexico.  Remember  my 
dreams  come  true,  Ronnie  Burr,  for  I  was  born  with  a 
cawl." 

"Were  you?  You  never  told  me  that  before.  It's 
the  luckiest  thing  in  the  world.  Cawls,  they  say,  have 
been  worn  in  extreme  youth  by  all  the  world's  greatest 
sooth-sayers." 

"Then  I  must  be  a  sooth-sayer  as  well  as  a  dreamer 
of  dreams!  But  remember,  without  my  cawl  I  could 
always  read  Ronnie  Burr  like  a  book.  Be  nice  to 
Hamilton:  speak  him  fair  and  don't  be  sarcastic.  Just 
think  that  you're  boys  again  together  and  make  it  up. 
Good  night,  Ronnie!  Good  luck  to  your  meeting!" 


CHAPTER  VIII 

COLONEL  AARON  BURR  PAYS  A  DEBT  AND  AN  EARLY 
MORNING  CALL  ON  MR.  ALEXANDER  HAMILTON 

Oh,  East  is  East,  and  West  is  West  and 

Never   the  twain  shall  meet, 
Till  Earth  and  Sky  stand  presently  at 

God's  great  Judgment  Seat. 
But  there  is  neither  East  nor  West, 

Border,  nor  Breed  nor  Birth, 
When  two  strong  men  stand  face  to  face 

Though  they  come    from  the   ends   of   the   Earth. 

— KIPLING — "Ballad  of  East  and  West." 

IT    HAPPENED   just    as    Dolly   had   predicted. 
When  Burr  reached  Hamilton's  house  the  win- 
dow of  the  study  was  still  alight,  although  it  was 
very  near  to  daybreak.     Burr  tapped  gently  on  the 
window     and     almost     immediately     up     flew     the 
blind  and  there  stood  Hamilton.    Of  all  the  living  men 
on  earth,  at  that  moment,  Burr  was  the  very  last  whom 
Hamilton    expected    to    see.      His    face    showed    his 
sheer  amazement.     Then  it  broke  into  smiles  of  in- 
credulous surprise.     He  raised  the  sash. 

"Good  Heavens,  man,"  exclaimed  Hamilton,  as  they 
shook  hands  across  the  window-ledge.  "Burr,  of  all 
men!  To  be  out  at  such  an  unseemly  hour.  What  are 
you  doing?  Is  it  a  case  of  early  rising  or  just  going  to 
bed?  In  the  old  days  you  used  to  be  proficient  at  both. 

123 


124       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

At  headquarters  and  even  before  that  when  you  were 
policing  Westchester  County,  I  never  knew  your  equal 
for  going  to  bed  late  and  for  getting  up  early.  I  could 
do  it  once,  but  I  can't  any  more."  He  gave  a  sigh  and 
a  shrug  of  the  shoulder.  "I'm  afraid  I'm  getting 
old,  Burr.  Can't  stand  things  as  I  used  to  do.  Come 
in,  have  a  smoke  and  a  glass  of  wine.  I  know  you're 
the  most  abstemious  brute  in  the  world,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  myself,  but  we  must  both  have  a  glass  this 
morning.  Seems  to  me  it's  the  least  I  can  do  for 
you,"  he  laughed,  "as  I  couldn't  vanquish  you  and 
Jefferson.  Come  in.  It'll  be  good  to  have  a  chat. 
I'm  as  tired  as  the  Devil,  and  yet  I  haven't  felt  so 
absolutely  awake  in  years." 

He  left  the  window,  unlocked  the  front  door  and 
Burr  followed  him  into  the  study. 

It  was  a  rather  bare  room — an  office  in  reality — 
with  a  long  table  covered  with  papers  running  down 
the  center  of  it.  "And  now  that  you're  here,"  said 
Hamilton,  lightly,  but  with  a  good  deal  of  curiosity  in 
his  tone,  "What's  it  all  about?" 

"I  don't  wonder  at  your  asking,"  laughed  Burr. 
"'Tis  rather  an  unseemly  hour  for  a  morning  call  even 
between  old  friends.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I've  come 
on  business  and  also  to  offer  an  apology.  I've  come  to 
pay  an  old  debt." 

"An  old  debt?"  echoed  Hamilton  in  surprise.  "I 
don't  remember " 

"Oh  yes  you  do,"  interrupted  Burr,  "think,  my  dear 
fellow.  I  owe  you  six  hundred  dollars.  Surely  you 
remember  that." 

As  he  spoke  he  drew  the  notes  from  his  pocket  and 


COLONEL  BURR  PAYS  A  DEBT       125 

laid  them  on  the  table.  "It's  been  abominably  careless 
of  me.  But  then,  you  know  my  reputation  for  never 
paying  my  debts!" 

"On  the  contrary,"  replied  Hamilton,  "I  have 
always  thought  of  you,  Burr,  as  the  most  liberal,  open- 
handed  man  I  know." 

"Liberal !  Ah,  yes,  perhaps  I  am.  Open-handed 
too,  possibly,  in  my  own  way — but  never  to  my  cred- 
itors. Any  one  of  them  will  tell  you  that.  But  this 
was  a  matter  between  friends,  and  if  it  hadn't  gone 
completely  out  of  my  mind  till  yesterday  I  should 
have  paid  you  long  since.  Don't  you  remember,  it 
was  one  day  about  two  years  ago.  I  came  galloping 
up  to  the  Grange  in  no  end  of  a  hurry.  I  was  riding 
to  Albany  and  had  forgotten  my  wallet.  You  and 
Betsy  were  sitting  under  the  trees.  I  held  you  up 
like  another  Dick  Turpin.  Asked  you  if  you'd  lend 
me  six  hundred  dollars." 

"Of  course,"  said  Hamilton,  "now  that  you  speak 
of  it  I  remember  the  circumstance  perfectly,  but  I  still 
protest  none  the  less  that  I  had  forgotten  about  the 
matter.  You  know,"  laughed  Hamilton,  "that  was 
why  General  Washington  chose  me  for  the  first  Sec- 
retary of  the  Treasury.  He  told  me  that  he  knew 
no  man  who  could  take  such  good  care  of  other 
people's  money  and  so  little  of  his  own.  But  what 
will  you  drink,  Burr?  Here's  port  and  some  rather 
good  Burgundy.  Just  a  wee  little  glass  between  us 
two  almost  total  abstainers !  to  show  each  other  that 
we  bear  no  grudges  for  the  political  and  other  scars 
which  we  have  given  each  other  in  the  past." 

"First  take  my  money,"  laughed  Burr,  "and  then, 


126       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

though  it's  against  my  principles,  I'll  take  your  wine. 
Just  a  drop  of  Burgundy.  Thank  you." 

Hamilton  filled  the  glasses  and  they  toasted  each 
other.  Then  Hamilton  lighted  his  church-warden  pipe 
and  Burr  lit  a  long  cigar.  They  sat  down  by  the 
fire-place  and  Hamilton  said: 

"Strarige,  I  had  a  feeling  that  someone  was  going 
to  call  on  me  to-night.  But  I  never  dreamed  it  would 
be  you,  Burr.  Don't  let's  talk  politics  now.  I  expect 
for  the  moment  you're  as  heartily  sick  of  them  as  I. 
It's  been  a  great  victory  for  you  and  Jefferson.  You 
can't  expect  me  to  congratulate  you  under  all  the  cir- 
cumstances, but  frankly,  as  far  as  you're  concerned, 
I  do  wish  you  every  prosperity  and  success.  Tell  me 
about  Theodosia  and  the  youngster.  How's  the  little 
chap  coming  on?" 

Burr's  face  lightened  instantly.  He  leaned  forward 
and  there  was  a  look  of  real  enthusiasm  in  his  eyes  as 
he  exclaimed,  "Little  Grampillo !  That's  what  I  call 
him.  Ah,  Hamilton,  by  gad,  sir,  I  never  knew  the 
joys  of  a  grandfather  could  be  so  great  until  I  set 
my  eyes  on  Theodosia's  baby  boy.  He's  such  a 
brave  little  devil,  too — not  three  yet  and  as 
strong  as  a  young  Hercules.  Plucky,  too !  Why, 
only  the  other  day,  down  on  their  place,  when  I  was 
there,  a  goat  was  running  about  the  meadow  and  tried 
to  butt  Grampillo.  Did  he  run  or  cry?  Not  a  bit  of 
it,  sir.  The  child  had  a  stick  in  his  hand,  and  raising 
it  he  smashed  the  goat  like  a  young  Goliath.  That 
goat  respects  Grampillo  now.  They  salute  each  other 
like  old  warriors  when  they  pass.  Each  keeps  their 
distance.  Yes,  Hamilton,  that  child  has  given  me  a 


"WE   MAY    HAVE   BOTH    BEEN    RAKES    IN  OUR   DAY.    BURR.  BUT   AS  FATHERS.  BY   GAD!    SIR.  NO 
ONE  CAN  SHAKE  A  STICK  AT  US" 


COLONEL  BURR  PAYS  A  DEBT       127 

different  view  of  life.  I  love  every  child  I  pass  in  the 
streets  the  better  for  Grampillo's  sake.  It  breaks 
my  heart  to  have  him  and  Theodosia  so  far  away, 
but  it  gives  me  something  to  look  forward  to.  I  count 
the  days  now  like  a  school-boy  till  I'm  free  to  go  to 
them.  You  see  it's  my  first  experience  of  a  boy  in 
the  family.  My  first  wife's  children,  the  Prevost 
boys,  fine  lads  as  they  were,  were  half  grown  when 
I  married.  And  after  all,  a  girl  is  very  different. 
I  don't  believe  any  father  was  ever  closer  to  a  daugh- 
ter than  I  to  Theodosia,  but  after  all,  a  girl  can  never 
quite  take  the  place  of  a  son.  Therefore,  now,  I  feel 
that,  perhaps  without  deserving  it,  I'm  enjoying  all 
the  delights  of  fatherhood  at  second  hand.  And  by 
the  way,  how's  your  baby  boy?  He  must  be  nearly 
a  year  old,  isn't  he?" 

"Just  a  year,"  said  Hamilton,  and  he  gave  a  sigh. 
"Have  you  seen  Betsy  lately?  Perhaps  she's  told  you. 
We  have  christened  him  Philip.  Somehow  it  seemed 
the  only  thing  to  do  to  call  him  Philip  now  that  my 
first-born's  gone.  It  will  be  just  a  year  to-morrow 
since  he  died,  poor,  poor  Philip!"  said  Hamilton,  and 
the  tears  stood  in  his  eyes.  "Poor  foolish  lad — just 
twenty-one  and  with  all  his  life  before  him.  Ohl  if 
he'd  only  let  me  know,  Burr — if  he'd  only  taken  me 
into  his  confidence  about  that  damnable  duel.  Two 
silly  youngsters  to  fight  about  a  play  actress  whom 
neither  of  them  even  knew.  Poor  thing!  she  was 
in  no  sense  to  blame.  But  oh,  the  folly  of  it  all! 
It's  made  my  Betsy  an  old  woman — an  old  woman, 
Burr,  and  though  I  may  not  show  it  to  the  world,  it's 
almost  been  the  death  of  me.  I  shall  never  be  the 


128       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

same  man  again.  Ah!  if  he  had  only  told  me.  He 
came  into  the  breakfast  room  that  morning  and  he 
kissed  me — something  which  he  hadn't  done  in  years! 
If  I  hadn't  been  a  fool  I  might  have  suspected  that 
something  was  amiss.  Angelica  did.  She  has  a 
wonderful  divining  power,  that  child  of  mine.  Of  all 
my  children  she,  the  only  girl,  is  closest  to  me  of  all. 
She  understands  me  best;  she  seems  to  know  my  very 
thoughts  before  I  speak  them,  and  of  all  of  us  she 
was  the  only  one  who  foresaw  tragedy  that  morning 
when  he  walked  out  to  his  death.  'Good-bye,  dad,' 
he  said  to  me,  laughingly,  'take  care  of  yourself.  I 
may  be  home  for  dinner,  but  I'm  not  quite  sure. 
Don't  wait  for  me.'  That  was  all,  but  Angelica,  de- 
vined.  She  knew  that  he  was  dead,  hours  before  they 
had  brought  his  body  back  to  us.  She  has  a  power,  that 
child,  which  to  me  seems  almost  uncanny.  But  don't 
let's  talk  tragedy.  Tell  me  of  Theodosia,"  he  went 
on  more  cheerfully,  "there's  a  wonderful  girl,  that 
daughter  of  yours,  Burr.  I'm  so  glad  young  Alston 
has  made  her  happy.  If  ever  a  woman  deserved  a 
fine  husband,  she's  the  one.  A  remarkable  woman, 
Theodosia,  a  brilliant  mind!  To  my  thinking,  Burr — 
And  I've  never  hesitated  to  say  so,  except  in  the  pres- 
ence of  my  own  dear  family — she's  the  only  really 
educated  woman  in  America.  And  it's  your  splendid* 
training  and  care  of  her  that's  responsible  for  that. 
We  may  have  both  been  rakes  in  our  day,  Burr,"  he 
laughed,  "but  as  fathers,  by  gad!  Sir,  no  one  can  shake 
a  stick  at  us." 

"I  shall  always  thank  that  six  hundred  dollars  for 
bringing  you  here  to-night,"  he  continued.     "It's  done 


COLONEL  BURR  PAYS  A  DEBT       129 

me  a  very  good  turn.  I  was  in  the  doldrums,  fearfully 
blue ;  and  then  for  once,  I  had  been  drinking  to-night. 
You  see,  I  had  this  big  dinner  on;  Merry  and  a  num- 
ber of  the  Federalists.  Under  the  circumstances  it 
was  scarcely  a  joyful  function,  as  you  can  readily  un- 
derstand. But  it's  over  now,  thank  God!  I  can  wash 
my  hands  of  the  whole  business.  I  think  I  shall  turn 
farmer.  After  all — when  you  come  to  think  it  over — 
that  's  the  only  life.  I've  given  the  best  of  my  life  to 
my  country,  and  I've  really  taken  for  my  services  al- 
most less  than  a  living  wage.  I  started  penniless;  and 
if  I  died  to-morrow,  Burr,  except  for  the  Grange,  which 
I  own  outright,  by  Jove,  I  don't  think  that  I'd  have 
more  than  enough  money  to  pay  for  my  funeral  expen- 
ses. We've  always  been  spendthrifts,  you  and  I, 
haven't  we?  Our  motives  may  have  been  different  and 
assuredly  our  politics  always  have,  but  we've  both 
worked  for  this  dear  old  beehive,  the  United  States, 
not  on  account  of  the  honey  that  was  there,  but  for  the 
sake  of  the  bees  that  were  in  it." 

Thus  spoke  the  great  Hamilton  on  the  morning 
after  the  day  when,  by  the  defeat  of  the  Federalist 
party  and  the  triumphs  of  the  Republicans  headed 
by  Jefferson  and  Burr,  he  had  received  the  bitterest 
blow  of  his  life. 

Burr,  ever  quick  to  sympathize  with  friend  or  foe 
in  trouble,  was  profoundly  touched.  Hamilton  had 
had  no  need  to  speak  for  Burr  to  realize  the  bitterness 
of  his  condition. 

It  was  long  past  dawn,  the  sunlight  was  streaming 
through  the  window,  cocks  were  acrow  and  milkmen 
astir  as  Burr  finally  rose  to  go.  The  two  men  shook 


130       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

hands  and  Hamilton  with  one  arm  resting  affectionately 
on  Burr's  shoulder,  escorted  him  to  the  door. 

"I'm  afraid  you'll  be  losing  me  as  a  country  neigh- 
bor soon,"  said  Burr  as  he  walked  along  the 
hall.  "I'm  thinking  of  selling  Richmond  Hill.  I  never 
realized  what  a  huge  and  lonely  place  it  is  until  Theo- 
dosia  married  and  went  away.  It's  too  big  for  me  now 
and  I've  no  heart  to  put  in  it.  John  Jacob  Astor,  the 
fur  man,  has  been  negotiating  with  me  to  buy  it  for 
some  time.  But  he's  a  great  haggler.  Still  if  I  can 
bring  him  to  time  and  he'll  pay  my  price,  I  shall  sell." 

"If  you  do,"  said  Hamilton,  "be  sure  and  send  me 
some  of  your  melon  seeds  before  Astor  takes  posses- 
sion. Those  were  glorious  melons  you  sent  us  last 
year,  and,  now  that  I'm  going  to  turn  gardener,  I 
shall  try  to  raise  some  myself.  A  garden,  it  seems  to 
me,  ought  to  be  a  great  refuge  for  a  disappointed 
politician.  So  don't  forget!  Send  me  some  melon 
seeds." 

That  was  their  parting.  At  the  corner,  Burr  turned 
and  seeing  Hamilton  still  standing  in  the  doorway, 
pale  and  heavy-eyed,  he  smiled  and  waved  his  hand. 
Two  school-boys,  after  some  night's  merry  lark,  could 
not  have  parted  in  more  friendly  spirit. 

When  Burr  reached  home  again  Dolly,  looking  as 
fresh  and  as  fragrant  as  the  day  itself,  sat  awaiting 
him  at  her  own  little  breakfast  table. 

"Here's  a  letter  for  you,"  she  exclaimed,  as  he 
dropped  into  his  chair  and  took  a  long  draught  of 
coffee.  "Looks  important.  Quite  a  document  by 
the  size  of  it.  Read  it  first  and  then  tell  me  all  about 
Hamilton." 


COLONEL  BURR  PAYS  A  DEBT       131 

"May  I  read  it  here?"  asked  Burr,  as  he  started 
to  tear  the  letter  open. 

"Most  certainly.  Why  stand  on  ceremony  with 
your  landlady?  Read  away,  man,  and  let's  hope  it's 
good  news." 

It  was  a  short  note  from  one  of  his  political  lieuten- 
ants in  New  York,  and  there  was  an  enclosure  in  Alex- 
ander Hamilton's  handwriting.  Burr  knew  it  well, 
that  handwriting!  But  as  he  read  the  script  his  face 
went  white;  his  lips  compressed  into  one  thin  stern 
line. 

"What's  the  matter?"  said  Dolly,  seeing  his  change 
of  countenance.  "No  bad  news,  I  hope?" 

"Bad  or  good,  it's  news  right  enough!"  said  Burr 
with  a  bitter  sneer.  "It's  a  little  document  from  my 
friend,  Mr.  Hamilton,  the  same  Mr.  Hamilton  who 
greeted  me  so  affectionately  not  two  hours  ago !  It's 
not  written  to  me,  but  was  sent  to  New  York  for  pri- 
vate circulation  among  my  friends  and  enemies  alike, — 
anywhere,  in  fact,  where  it  could  do  me  political  harm. 
Read  for  yourself,  my  dear;  it's  public  property.  A 
little  eulogy  for  private  circulation — from  my  friend 
who  calls  me  Cataline." 

.  .  .  "Another  subject.  Jefferson  or  Burr?  The 
former  beyond  a  doubt.  The  latter  in  my  judgment 
has  no  principle,  public  or  private;  could  be  bound  by 
no  agreement;  will  listen  to  no  monitor  but  his  am- 
bition; and  for  this  purpose  will  use  the  worst  portion 
of  the  community  as  a  ladder  to  climb  to  permanent 
power,  and  an  instrument  to  crush  the  better  part.  He 
is  bankrupt  beyond  redemption,  except  by  the  resources 


132       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

that  grow  out  of  war  and  disorder;  or  by  a  sale  to  a 
foreign  power,  or  by  great  peculation.  War  with 
Great  Britain  would  be  the  immediate  instrument.  He 
is  sanguine  enough  to  hope  everything,  daring  enough 
to  attempt  everything,  wicked  enough  to  scruple  noth- 
ing. From  the  elevation  of  such  a  man  may  Heaven 
preserve  the  country. 

"The  truth  is  with  great  apparent  coldness,  he  is  the 
most  sanguine  man  in  the  world.  He  thinks  everything 
possible  to  adventure  and  perseverance;  and  though 
I  believe  he  will  fail,  I  think  it  almost  certain  he  will 
attempt  usurpation  and  the  attempt  will  involve  great 
mischief.  He  is  far  more  cunning  than  wise;  far  more 
dexterous  than  able.  If  Burr  really  ever  said,  as  has 
frequently  been  quoted,  that  'great  souls  do  not  much 
regard  the  minor  moralities,'  he  uttered  as  deadly  a 
falsehood  as  ever  fell  from  lips.  Great  souls,  indeed, 
know  no  minor  morals.  To  them  all  morals  are  great, 
august,  controlling.  They  know  no  degrees  in  right 
and  wrong.  He  (Burr)  is  a  man  of  extreme  and  ir- 
regular ambition.  He  is  selfish  to  a  degree  which  ex- 
cludes all  social  affections  and  furthermore,  though 
temperate  in  the  use  of  wine  he  is,  in  other  respects, 
decidely  profligate.  In  a  word  he  is  a  man  who,  on  all 
hands,  is  acknowledged  to  be  a  complete  Cataline.  You 
may  communicate  this  and  my  former  letter  to  discreet 
and  confidential  friends.  .  .  . 

ALEXANDER  HAMILTON." 


CHAPTER  IX 

LADY  MERRY  DAMNS  HER  HAIRDRESSER  AND  HOLDS 
THE  AMERICAN  REPUBLIC  RESPONSIBLE 


"No  scandal  about  Queen  Elizabeth,  I  hope." 

— R.  B.  SHERIDAN — "The  Critic." 


"With    doubler   tongue   than   thine,    thou    serpent, 
Never  adder  stung!" 

— SHAKESPEARE — "Midsummer  Nights  Dream/' 


"Sir,  would  she  give  you  so  much  of  her  lips 
As  her  tongue,  she  oft  bestows  on  me, 
You'd  have  enough."    . 

— SHAKESPEARE — "Othello" 


The   tongue   is    a   fire ! 

As  you  may  know,  my  dear, 
The  tongue  is  a  fire ! 

— TENNYSON — "The  Grandmother." 

THE  good  citizens  of  Philadelphia,  enraged  as 
they  were  at  being  robbed  of  the  honors  of  the 
Capital,  still  had  no  intention  of  allowing  Mr. 
Jefferson  and  the  new  Administration  to  take  their  leave 
without  giving  them  a  fitting  farewell.     Consequently 
balls,  routs,  dinners  and  receptions  followed  fast  and 
furiously  on  each  other's  heels.     The  assembly  ball 
which  was  given  by  the  citizens  in  honor  of  Mr.  Jeff- 
erson was  to  take  place  at  the  tavern,  next  door  to  Dolly 

133 


134       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

Todd's  on  the  Wednesday  night  following  the  election. 
But  for  more  reasons  than  one  Dolly,  though  beset  by 
invitations,  had  determined  not  to  go.  In  the  first 
place  her  ankle  was  still  paining  her — or  at  least,  so 
she  said!  In  the  second,  she  had  just  remembered 
again,  of  a  sudden,  that  she  was  a  widow  and  a 
Quaker  one  at  that.  Furthermore,  her  heart,  though 
she  would  not  admit  it  even  to  herself,  was  sick  within 
her  with  dread  of  some  coming  tragedy  between  Burr 
and  Hamilton. 

Then,  too,  she  had  her  own  future  to  think  about 
without  bandying  words  or  twirling  her  heels  at  silly 
receptions  or  foolish  dances.  In  a  word,  just  at  this 
moment,  Dolly,  as  far  as  the  Irish  percentage  of  her 
nature  would  allow  her,  was  taking  rather  a  serious 
view  of  life.  The  Hamilton  letter,  which  she  had 
read  that  morning  at  the  breakfast  table,  had  proved 
almost  as  great  a  shock  to  her  as  it  had  to  Burr. 
The  unnecessary  malignity  of  it  had  aroused  all  the 
fires  of  indignation  in  her  loyal  nature  and,  once  or 
twice,  out  of  pure  pity  during  the  last  three  days  it 
had  been  as  much  as  she  could  do  to  keep  herself 
from  throwing  her  arms  around  Ronnie  Burr's  neck 
and  ordering  him  to  marry  her  out  of  hand. 

Meanwhile  what  she  was  thinking  and  saying 
to  herself,  in  her  Irish  way,  of  Hamilton  and  Madam 
Jumel  would  have  filled  a  copious  volume  and  been 
quite  unprintable! 

Exactly  how  Dolly  managed  to  involve  Madam 
Jumel  in  the  affair  could  only  be  explained  by  her  own 
peculiar  course  of  feminine  reasoning.  She  hated  the 
woman  with  a  cordial  hate  and  she  had  persuaded 


THE  LADY  DAMNS  HER  HAIRDRESSER    135 

herself  that  the  famous  beauty  was  moving  heaven 
and  earth  to  make  Burr  the  means  of  wreaking  her 
vengeance  upon  Hamilton.  Then  again,  something 
else  had  occurred  which  gave  Dolly  considerable  food 
for  thought.  Sir  Anthony's  long  expected  and  greatly 
dreaded  spouse  had  arrived  from  England,  and  in  less 
than  half  an  hour  after  her  advent  in  the  Todd  man- 
sion had  more  than  justified,  by  her  temper  and  tongue, 
all  the  things  which  Beau  Pinckney,  her  husband,  and 
the  balance  of  the  world  had  said  against  her.  Arro- 
gant, ignorant,  supercilious  and  as  ugly  as  any  woman 
could  ever  hope  to  be  who  had  crossed  the  meridian 
line  of  fifty  with  an  embittered  mind,  Lady  Merry  had 
the  one  solitary  grace  to  recommend  her  in  the  person 
of  her  sister,  the  Honorable  Ena  Farrar,  as  sweet, 
wholesome  and  pretty  a  girl  as  had  ever  taken  packet 
from  London-town  to  cross  the  broad  seas  and  tempt 
fate  and  mankind  in  general  on  the  shores  of  the 
sixteen  States. 

Ena  and  Dolly  had  become  fast  friends  from  the 
moment  they  first  set  eyes  on  each  other  and,  true  to 
her  promise  to  Pinckney,  Dolly  was  aiding  and  abetting 
their  impetuous  courtship  at  every  turn. 

It  was  just  after  dinner  and  most  of  Mrs.  Todd's 
guests  were  resting  preparatory  to  the  ball  when  Dolly 
ran  into  Pinckney  as  he  was  going  upstairs  to  dress. 

"Pinckney,  my  dear  boy,  just  a  word  in  thy  ear," 
she  exclaimed,  "and  thee  mustn't  breathe  a  breath  of  it ! 
Listen !  I've  a  vastly  interesting  plot  on  foot  in  which 
thee  must  be  my  fellow  conspirator.  Perhaps  Sally 
McKean  may  be  able  to  assist  me  too.  I  shall  try  her, 
but  then  she's  so  desperately  in  love,  poor  soul !  And 


136       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

experience  has  taught  a  wise  widow  like  me  that  one 
can  never  rely  on  one's  women  friends  when  they 
chance  to  be  in  the  throes  of  love.  Now  this  is  what 
I  want  you  to  do  for  me  Pinckney  and  it's  to  be  done, 
mind  thee,  in  thy  most  diplomatic  and  artful  way.  I'm 
very  anxious  to  meet  Madam  Jumel." 

"What!"  exclaimed  Pinckney  incredulously,  "Do  I 
hear  aright,  Dolly?  You  sworn  old  foes  who  have  ig- 
nored the  existence  of  each  other  in  season  and  out 
for  all  these  years!  Why  the  millenium  must  have 
come  to  pass!" 

"Stop  thy  palaver  and  listen  to  me,"  said  Dolly. 
"It's  a  serious  matter.  I'm  not  doing  this  for  fun,  so  a 
truce  to  thy  levity.  I've  heard  that  the  French  woman 
is  extremely  superstitous.  She  dotes  on  sooth-sayers, 
fortune-tellers,  and  the  like  and  'tis  one  of  her  passions 
to  have  her  future  read  in  the  lines  of  her  hand.  I  want 
thee  to  circulate  a  report,  or  to  tell  her  thyself — for 
you're  a  liar  Pinckney  whom  I  am  sure  could  arise  to 
so  great  an  occasion — that  I  am  a  sort  of  a  clairvoy- 
ant, a  fortune-teller,  a  hand-reader  if  thee  will,  and  that 
I  possess  marvelous  powers  of  peering  into  the  future. 
If  thee  baits  the  trap  properly,  Pinckney,  I  know  the 
mouse  will  nibble.  Tell  her,  of  course,  that  I  don't 
do  these  things  for  money  but  merely  to  assuage  the 
curiosity  and  anxiety  of  my  intimate  friends.  In  a 
word  Pinckney,  I  want  thee,  indirectly,  to  persuade  her 
to  come  to  my  house, — secretly  if  she  pleases,  of  course; 
in  fact,  I  prefer  it  so.  But  I  want  her  here  where  we 
can  face  each  other  and  speak  as  we  may,  woman  to 
woman.  'Tis  no  silly  farce  I'm  plotting,  Pinckney,  but 
a  grim  and  earnest  matter  of  great  moment  to  more 


THE  LADY  DAMNS  HER  HAIRDRESSER    137 

than  one  of  us.  Now  run  along  and  flirt  with  Ena! 
She's  a  dear  girl  and  I'm  quite  sure  she's  waiting  for 
thee  at  the  top  of  the  stairs." 

So  saying  Dolly  flew  towards  the  kitchen  intent  on 
some  domestic  matter.  But  in  spite  of  her  warning  that 
Ena  was  awaiting  him,  Pinckney  still  loitered  in  the 
drawing  room.  Presently  he  pulled  the  bell  rope  and 
Jennings,  Dolly's  colored  butler,  appeared  in  answer 
to  his  summons. 

"Announce  me  to  Colonel  Burr,"  said  Pinckney. 

"Yes,  Sir,"  said  Jennings,  "but  I  doubt  if  you  can  see 
him  just  now.  He's  awaiting  a  call  from  Mr.  Alexan- 
der Hamilton  at  any  moment." 

Pinckney  gave  a  slight  start  of  surprise.  "Before 
he  arrives  then — quickly.  Say  to  Colonel  Burr  that  I 
have  word  for  him  from  the  President." 

Just  at  that  moment  Ena  came  down  the  stairs.  She 
was  in  evening  dress  and  looked  radiant.  Pinckney 
rushed  to  her  and  offered  her  a  dance  card. 

"Why,  'tis  already  written  on,"  she  exclaimed  as  she 
looked  at  it. 

"Oh,  yes.  That  was  just  a  little  suggestion  of 
mine,"  he  explained.  "Merely  to  indicate  what  dances 
I  should  like  to  have  this  evening." 

"Quadrille!  cotillion!  reel!  two  waltzes!  Good 
Heavens,  Sir!  Why  you've  usurped  me!" 

"Nothing  of  the  sort,"  said  he  brazenly,  "I've  only 
stolen  half  the  list." 

"But  my  sister,  Lady  Merry.  She'll  be  furious.  She's 
certain  to  object." 

"Then  we'll  omit  the  quadrille.  That  we'll  sit  out 


138       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

so  that  you  may  see,  with  your  own  lovely  eyes,  what  a 
modish  assembly  looks  like  among  our  savages." 

"Savages,  indeed!"  cried  Ena  resentfully.  "I  won't 
allow  you  to  belittle  your  nation,  Sir.  'Tis  most  charm- 
ing, in  fact,  I'm  quite  mad  about  Philadelphia.  I've 
never  spent  three  happier  days  in  my  life." 

"So  glad!  so  charmed!"  said  Pinckney.  'Tis  a  relief 
to  hear  from  those  ruby  lips  that  we're  not  quite  so 
red  as  we're  painted!" 

"Fal  Lai  Sir!  You're  too  humble  by  far!  I'm 
hoping  we  stay  on  a  long  time." 

"If  I  have  my  way  you  assuredly  shall,"  volunteered 
Pinckney.  Then  assuming  a  confidential  tone.  "But 
now!  Whisper!  Between  us!  Such  a  joke.  I  must 
tell  you  even  if  you  won't  quite  understand.  'Tis  side 
splitting!" 

"Really?     Pray  tell  me,"  said  Ena  with  eagerness. 

"  'Tis  about  Mrs.  Todd,  the  best  friend  I've  got  in 
the  world — and  she's  yours  too,  believe  me !  To  put 
the  matter  in  a  nutshell  'tis  like  this.  There's  a  famous 
beauty  here  in  Philadelphia,  an  international  creature, 
rich,  brilliant,  charming.  Quite  our  nearest  approach 
to  Madam  De  Stael.  She  and  Mrs.  Todd  have  never 
met — though  mind  you,  that,  although  a  landlady, 
Mrs.  Todd's  position  socially  is  second  to  none.  But 
they've  just  hated  each  other  cordially  at  a  distance  as 
women  will  do  sometimes  now-a-days.  Now  here's  the 
joke.  For  weeks  Betty  Jumel  has  been  imploring  me 
to  devise  some  means  by  which  she  could  accidentally 
meet  Mrs.  Todd.  Knowing  Dolly  as  I  do,  I  told  her 
the  case  was  hopeless,  impossible,  one  can't  convince  an 
Irish  woman  against  her  will.  But  to-night, — mark 


139 

you,  listen  to  this! — Dolly  Todd  comes  to  me  and 
broaches  the  same  subject  only  vice  versa,  of  course. 
She  proposed  that  I  should  tell  Betty  that  she  is  a 
sooth-sayer,  a  fortune-teller.  Something  of  that  sort 
you  know,  anything  in  fact  that  would  induce  her  to 
come  here  under  cover.  I'm  dying  to  know  what  it's 
all  about.  There's  something  interesting  on  foot  and 
in  that  sort  of  thing,  you  know,  Beau  Pinckney  doesn't 
like  to  be  out  of  it.  I  shall  bring  matters  to  a  head 
this  very  night.  We'll  watch  the  fun,  you  and  I,  eh?" 

Suddenly  from  a  bedroom  upstairs  there  came  a 
strenuous  British  shriek  of  "Ena!" 

The  next  moment,  as  though  suddenly  ejected  from  a 
gun,  poor  old  Sir  Anthony  came  hobbling  down  the 
stairs. 

"Ena!"  he  grunted  with  a  quiver  of  fear,  "I  think 
dear  Angle's  wanting  you." 

Ena  flew  and  Pinckney,  bowing  to  the  British  minis- 
ter, went  towards  him,  carrying  the  dance  card  in  his 
hand.  "May  I  have  Miss  Ferrer  for  these  dances,  Sir? 
I  have  just  been  selecting  one  or  two." 

"You'll  have  to  ask  Lady  Merry  about  that.  I'm  a 
government  official,  Sir,  I  never  interfere  in  the  affairs 
of  my  family." 

"I'll  go  at  once,  Sir,"  said  Pinckney.  He  started 
towards  the  stairway. 

"No,  no,  not  now.  She's  furious.  I'll  break  it  to 
her  later,"  whispered  Ena  over  the  banisters. 

At  that  moment  Burr  came  down  the  stairs.  He, 
too,  was  in  evening  dress  but  he  looked  worried  and 
perturbed.  He  bowed  to  Pinckney  rather  coldly. 
"What  word  from  next  door?"  he  asked. 


1 40       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

Pinckney  drew  close  to  him  so  that  Sir  Anthony, 
standing  by  the  fireplace,  might  not  hear.  "Mr.  Jeffer- 
son, Sir,  is  rather  anxious  about  this  article  in  the  Even- 
ing Post"  He  drew  a  paper  from  his  pocket. 

"What's  it  about?"  asked  Burr. 

"It's  an  account  of  a  dinner  party  given  last  Monday 
night  at  Mr.  Alexander  Hamilton's." 

"Oh,  yes,  I've  seen  that,"  replied  Burr  in  a  lighter 
tone,  "and  I'm  to  see  Mr.  Hamilton  presently,  also. 
Tell  Mr.  Jefferson  he  need  have  no  concern.  Hamilton 
and  I  will  reach  an  understanding."  Then  turning  to 
Sir  Anthony  he  asked,  "You  were  at  this  dinner  at 
Mr.  Hamilton's,  I  believe?" 

"Yes.  Three  days  ago,  you  mean.  Oh,  yes,  I  was 
there." 

"Large  party?"  asked  Burr. 

"Fairly  so,"  answered  Sir  Anthony.  "Twenty  gen- 
tlemen or  more.  I  was  bored  to  death  though." 

"I'm  sorry  to  hear  that,"  said  Burr  sarcastically, 
then  added  with  a  slight  change  of  manner  and  tone, 
"Mrs.  Todd's  name  was  mentioned  I  hear?" 

"In  a  way,  yes,"  said  Merry.  "Something  was  said 
about  her.  It  was  after  we  had  drunk  the  toast  to  the 
new  President.  Mr.  Hamilton  proposed — 'the  first 
lady  of  the  land.'  As  we  stood  with  glasses  raised, 
some  wag  asked:  'But  who  is  she?  Mrs.  Madison  or 
Mrs.  Burr?'  'Comes  to  the  same  thing,'  replied  Ham- 
ilton,' so  one  glass  may  serve  for  both !'  Let's  drink — 
'Dolly  Todd.'  " 

"Was  he  drunk,  this  man  Hamilton?"  said  Burr  in- 
dignantly. 

"No.  I  should  scarcely  call  him  drunk — merely  cheer- 


THE  LADY  DAMNS  HER  HAIRDRESSER    141 

ful,  like  the  rest  of  us.  But,  good  God!  man!"  cried 
Sir  Anthony,  suddenly  waxing  serious.  "That  isn't 
printed?" 

"Oh,  no,"  replied  Burr  with  a  withering  smile.  "It's 
merely  talked  of  by  most  of  the  twenty  gentlemen — 
and  the  lackeys  who  served  them.  When  it  comes  to 
print,  Mr.  Hamilton  sticks  to  politics.  There  he's  al- 
ways been  safe  with  me.  If  you  will  Mr.  Pinckney," 
and  with  a  slight  wave  of  his  hand  Burr  asked  him  to 
read  the  article. 

Pinckney  unfolded  the  newspaper  and  read:  "The 
report  that  Mr.  Hamilton  will  oppose  James  Madison's 
appointment  as  Secretary  of  State  grew  out  of  the 
gossip  at  a  recent  dinner  party  at  Mr.  Hamilton's. 
Someone  questioned  the  host  as  to  Madison's  fitness 
for  the  office " 

"That's  true,"  exclaimed  Merry.  "That's  quite 
true.  I  did  that." 

Burr  rose  to  his  feet  and  gazed  at  Merry  sternly. 
"It  was  you,"  he  said. 

"Yes,  'twas  I,"  exclaimed  Merry  in  a  slightly  apol- 
ogetic tone.  "I  asked  him,  quite  naturally, — 'twas 
just  after  the  toast  to  Mrs.  Todd, — what  he  thought 
of  Madison  as  Secretary  of  State." 

"And  he  answered  as  they  have  it  there?"  asked 
Burr. 

Pinckney  handed  the  paper  to  Merry  who  walked  to 
the  firelight  and  adjusted  his  glasses.  He  scanned  the 
article  carefully  before  he  spoke  a  word.  Pinckney 
meanwhile,  had  bowed  himself  out  and  had  gone  up- 
stairs. 

There  was  a  banjo  lying  on  the  spinnet — a  banjo 


142       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

which  Col.  Burr  had  never  seen  before.  He  looked  at 
it  smilingly  then  picked  it  up  and  strummed  a  chord  or 
two. 

"It's  perfectly  true,"  corroborated  Sir  Anthony, 
turning  to  Burr  once  more.  "Not  a  word  exaggerated. 
'Tis  precisely  what  Mr.  Hamilton  said."  He  looked 
at  the  paper  again  and  quoted:  "  'That  he  looks  upon 
Mr.  Burr  to  be  a  dangerous  man?'  ' 

"The  others  heard  of  course?"  said  Burr,  still  plunk- 
ing on  the  banjo. 

"Good  God !  yes.  And  they  were  all  attention  too, 
believe  me.  Fearing  he  misunderstood  I  said:  'But,  'tis 
Madison  who's  to  be  Secretary  of  State.'  Whereupon 
Mr.  Hamilton,  looked  me  squarely  in  the  eye  and  re- 
peated, quite  measuredly,  'Yes  and  I  look  upon  Mr. 
Burr  to  be  a  dangerous  man.'  ' 

Burr  laid  the  banjo  down  on  the  spinnet. 

"Word  for  word,"  he  said,  turning  to  Merry,  "as 
they  have  it  here." 

"But,  good  God!  man,  how'd  they  come  by  the 
story?" 

"The  Post,"  said  Burr. 

"But  I  don't  understand,"  said  Sir  Anthony  vaguely. 

"I  will  explain,  Sir,  said  Burr.  "The  Post  has  al- 
ways been  Mr.  Hamilton's  mouthpiece." 

"Indeed.  I'm  glad  to  learn  that.  I  must  send  this 
article  at  once  to  London." 

"What  for?"  exclaimed  Burr. 

"Why  don't  you  see,"  purred  Merry,  enthusiastic- 
ally, "  'tis  splendid  for  us,  couldn't  be  better  man;  it 
will  assure  you  the  loan  you  seek — when  my  people 
read  between  the  lines." 


THE  LAD Y  DAMNS  PIER  HAIRDRESSER    1 43 

"Read  what?"  asked  Burr  quickly.  "Read  what 
between  the  lines?" 

"Why,  my  dear  fellow,  can't  you  see — your  ad- 
mitted influence  with  Madison." 

Just  for  an  instant  Burr's  eyes  blazed,  then  throwing 
his  head  back  he  burst  out  laughing. 

"I  assure  you  I  have  no  more  influence  with  him  than 
you  have." 

"Directly — no,  perhaps,"  continued  Merry  as  though 
explaining  some  simple  puzzle  to  a  rather  obtuse  child. 
"But  here,  as  in  the  courts  of  Europe,  there's  always 
a  power  behind  the  throne.  And  then,  if  this  clever 
landlady  becomes  Mrs.  Madison " 

"If  you  please,"  interrupted  Burr  sternly.  "No 
lady's  name  in  this  affair." 

"No  name,  of  course,"  continued  Merry  smiling. 
"But  with  diplomats,  a  mere  hint,  the  slightest  sug- 
gestion  " 

"No,  sir,"  suddenly  thundered  Burr  decisively.  "Not 
by  hint,  intimation,  nor  inuendo — not  for  a  world  of 
Mexico's!" 

"Oh,  but  my  dear  man,"  insisted  Merry,  "You  must 
listen  to  reason,  'Great  ventures  can't  stop " 

"There's  no  point  here  of  small  morals,  Sir,"  in 
terrupted  Burr,  "but  abuse  of  privilege  with  a  charm- 
ing woman  whom  I  hope  soon  to  make  Mrs.  Burr." 

Sir  Anthony,  at  last  realizing  his  faux  pas,  bowed 
in  dismay.  Fortunately  at  that  moment  there  came  a 
diversion.  For  once,  in  a  way,  Lady  Merry  did  her 
husband  a  good  turn.  There  was  a  shriek  of  "Don't 
jab  me!"  from  above  and  down  the  stairs,  as  though 
pursued  by  the  Devil  himself,  came  a  distraught  hair 


144       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

dresser.  "Pardon,  Madam,  pardon!"  he  shouted  as 
he  ran.  "I  forgot  ze  powder  but  you  shall  have  it 
queek,  queek,"  and  he  vanished  down  the  hall. 

"Oh,  Tony,"  cried  Ena,  running  down  the  stairs, 
"for  Heavens  sake  go  up  to  Angie!  She's  beyond 
words  to-night." 

"What's  the  trouble  with  Angie  now?"  asked  Sir 
Anthony  as  though  usually  she  were  as  placid  as  the 
Lake  of  Como. 

"Trouble!"  cried  Ena,  "It  isn't  trouble;  it's  just  An- 
gie; that's  all." 

"Yes,  I  know,  but  who's  she  rowing  now.  Dear  me ! 
I  hope  its  not  poor  Mrs.  Todd." 

"For  the  moment,  no,"  said  Ena.  "This  time  it's 
the  coiffeur.  He  forgot  to  bring  hair  powder  and 
now  Angie  is  telling  him  what  she  thinks  of  the  Amer- 
ican Republic." 

There  was  a  swirl  of  skirts,  a  general  fuss  and  bustle, 
and  down  the  stairs  came  Lady  Merry  herself. 

"He'd  better  be  quick  about  it,  if  he  knows  what's 
good  for  him.  You  a  hairdresser  indeed!"  she  cried 
turning,  furiously  on  the  coiffeur  who  had  just  returned 
with  the  missing  powder-box  in  his  hand. 

"Oh,  oui,  Madam.  I  am  ze  hairdresser — sertain- 
ment!  I  have  even  dressed  ze  hair  of  ze  great  Gen- 
eral Washington." 

Lady  Merry  threw  up  her  hands. 

"There  they  go  again!"  she  cried.  "Now  don't  you 
throw  that  damnable  man  in  my  face !  He's  dressed 
General  Washington's  hair,  has  he?  Seems  to  me 
for  any  and  every  complaint  in  this  country  there's 
that  one  answer — General  Washington!  I  tell  Mrs. 


THE  LAD  Y  DAMNS  HER  HAIRDRESSER    1 45 

Todd's  cook  the  roast  is  over  done  and  her  excuse  is 
'General  Washington  has  dined  here.'  I  say  the 
Madiera's  muddy  but" — and  the  good  lady  tilted  her 
nose  heavenward — "  'General  Washington  didn't  find 
it  so.'  They  bring  me  a  pint  of  water  for  a  bath  and 
when  I  ask  for  more — 'Twas  always  plenty  for  the 
General.'  The  beds  are  hard  beyond  endurance — but 
General  Washington  has  slept  in  them.  Till  finally  I 
told  them  plump,  that  I'm  not  dining  with  General 
Washington,  nor  drinking  with  him,  nor  sleep " 

"Good  heavens,  Angie !"  cried  Sir  Anthony. 

"Well,  in  short  General  Washington  isn't  paying  my 
score.  Pretty  place  to  bring  me,  an  English  noble- 
woman accustomed  to  my  bath  regular  every  Saturday 
night!" 

"But,  my  dear,  'tis  the  best  the  town  affords,"  ex- 
postulated Sir  Anthony.  "We  were  in  great  good  for- 
tune to  get  rooms  here.  So  pray  be  your  usual  tactful 
self  with  our  hostess,  Mistress  Todd." 

"What,"  cried  Lady  Merry,  sneeringly,  as  she 
plumped  herself  down  upon  the  couch.  "This  land- 
lady! I'm  supposed  to  be  civil  to  her?" 

"She'll  soon  be  the  first  lady  in  the  land  my  dear," 
exclaimed  Ena  in  a  soothing  tone.  "Mr.  Pinckney 
says " 

"Quite  true,"  said  Sir  Anthony  nodding  his  head, 
"and  so  they  said  at  Mr.  Hamilton's  dinner  table." 

"Well  if  you  ask  my  opinion,"  began  Lady  Merry 
again. 

"But  we  don't  my  dear,  we  don't,  I  assure  you!"  in- 
terrupted Sir  Anthony  with  all  due  speed. 

"Well,  anyhow,  just  to  see  how  she'd  take  it  I  told 


146       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

her  plump  and  plain  what  was  hinted  at  at  Mr.  Ham- 
ilton's table."  said  Lady  Merry. 

"What'd  she  answer,  my  dear?"  asked  Merry  curi- 
ously. "You  mean  to  say  you  asked  her  whether  she 
was  going  to  be  Mrs.  Madison  or  Mrs.  Burr?" 

"Certainly,  I  asked  her.     Paying  guests  have  some 
perquisites  surely.   But  she  ignored  the  question.   How-1 
ever,  in  my  opinion,  'tis  pounds  to  pickles  she  takes  the 
rake." 

"What,  the  Vice  President!"  exclaimed  Ena  despair- 
ingly. "Oh,  I  hope  not.  Mr.  Pinckney  tells  me  he's 
such  an  inconstant  man.  But  hadn't  we  better  be  mak- 
ing ready  for  the  ball,  Angie  dear?" 

"There's  no  hurry,"  said  Sir  Anthony,  "  'Tis  only 
next  door." 

"What  time  does  this  war  dance  begin?"  asked 
Lady  Merry. 

"It's  not  a  war  dance  Angie  dear,  it's  a  ball,"  ex- 
claimed Ena,  "In  honor  of  the  new  President,  Mr. 
Jefferson.  The  quadrille  to  start  at  nine  o'clock." 

"Quadrille ! "  sniffed  Lady  Merry.  "That's  all  you'll 
dance  with  the  yokels." 

"On  the  contrary,  Angie  dear,  I'm  already  engaged 
for  two  waltzes  with  Mr.  Pinckney." 

"Mr.  Pinckney!  Seems  to  me  your  very  social  on 
such  short  acquaintance  with  that  popinjay." 

"Angie  why  do  you  speak  so  of  these  people  on 
such  short  acquaintance.  'Tis  grossly  bad  manners  to 
say  the  least.  You'd  better  take  care  or  they'll  be 
sending  us  all  three  to  Coventry  on  your  account." 

"I  have  always  said  what  I  like,  my  dear,"  re- 
marked Lady  Merry  with  emphasis. 


THE  LADY  DAMNS  HER  HAIRDRESSER    147 

"Why  if  you'd  talked  like  this  in  Madrid  or  Peters- 
burg they'd  have  sent  us  packing  and  quite  right  too," 
continued  Ena. 

"I  never  said  such  things  in  Spain  or  Russia,"  an- 
swered Lady  Merry,  tossing  her  head.  "I  had  no 
occasion  to." 

"You  mean  you  couldn't,"  said  Ena  cattily,  "You 
didn't  speak  the  language  well  enough." 

"I'll  speak  language  you  never  heard  before,"  cried 
the  dowager  angrily,  "if  that  asinine  Yankee  keeps 
hanging  around  you!" 

"The  Marquis  D'Yrujo  and  Miss  McKean,"  an- 
nounced Jennings. 

"Careful,"  whispered  Sir  Anthony  to  his  wife, 
"she's  his  fiancee.  Don't  let  us  get  embroiled  with 
Spain  just  now  my  dear." 

"Oh,  indeed,"  said  Lady  Merry,  tossing  her  head. 

Introductions  ensued  and  then  Sally,  turning  to  Jen- 
nings said:  "Appaise  Mrs.  Todd  that  we  are  here." 

Lady  Merry  meanwhile  had  been  making  a  careful 
inspection  of  Miss  McKean  through  her  lorgnettes. 
"So  this  is  the  future  Marquise,  eh?"  Then  turning 
to  D'Yrujo  she  asked  brusquely,  "How'd  that  happen?" 

D'Yrujo  laughed,  gave  a  sweeping  bow,  and  with 
a  gesture  towards  Sally  exclaimed  gallantly,  "That's 
my  answer,  Ma'am." 

Lady  Merry  turned  and  surveyed  Sally  once  more 
from  top  to  toe.  The  inspection  scarcely  seemed  to 
agree  with  her.  "Really,"  she  exclaimed,  "How  in- 
teresting! I  must  write  Peggy  this  very  day — My 
cousin  Lady  Peggy  Hastings,  you  know,"  she  explained 
to  Sally.  "You  may  not  know  it,  the  Marquis  was  head 


148       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

over  heels  to  marry  her.  But  he  wanted  too  much. 
He  came  too  high." 

"How  interesting!"  smiled  Sally  seating  herself  on 
the  couch.  "Pray  Madame  convey  my  compliments  to 
the  lady." 

"There's  no  need  to,"  snapped  the  dowager,  "she's 
in  luck,  my  dear,  though  she  does  not  know  it.  Poor 
dear!  she'd  have  died  in  this  awful  country." 

"You  have  lately  arrived,  I  believe?"  put  in  the 
Marquis,  with  a  laudable  desire  to  maintain  the  peace. 

"By  the  last  ship,"  snapped  Lady  Merry. 

"Good  crossing?" 

"Only  seven  weeks  from  London — worse  luck! 
When  I  saw  what  I'd  come  to  I  wished  it  had  been 
seven  years.  What  on  earth  keeps  you  here,  Mar- 
quis?" 

"The  interests  of  my  King,"  D'Yrujo  said. 

"Oh,  indeed,"  said  Lady  Merry,  as  she  dropped  her- 
self into  a  large  armchair.  "That's  news  to  me.  I 
didn't  think  the  Yankees  had  left  him  any!" 

"What  about  Mexico?"  said  the  Marquise  with  sig- 
nificance. 

"Mrs.  Todd  will  be  here  directly  Ma'am,"  said  Jen- 
nings. 

"If  you're  looking  for  lodgings,  Miss  McKean,  I 
fear  you'll  be  disappointed,"  Lady  Merry  remarked 
to  Sally,  "the  house  is  full,  we're  packed  in  here  like 
sheep  already." 

"Pray  don't  worry  on  our  account,  Madam,"  smiled 
Sally  with  frigid  cordiality.  "The  Marquis  and  I  are 
merely  calling  on  Mrs.  Todd." 


THE  LAD Y  DAMNS  HER  HAIRDRESSER    1 49 

"You  know  her?"  and  Lady  Merry  looked  much  sur- 
prised. 

"She's  my  dearest  friend,"  said  Sally  with  warmth, 
"and  as  for  the  Marquis,  he  fairly  dotes  on  her.  I'm 
almost  jealous  when  she's  about." 

"Well!"  cried  Lady  Merry,  tossing  her  head,  "You 
are  mixing!" 

Just  at  that  moment  in  came  Dolly.  She  was  dressed 
in  a  new  black  satin  gown  and  her  Quaker  cap  and 
kerchief  made  her  look  even  more  bewitching  than 
usual. 

"Ah,  Marquis,  how-d'ye-do!"  she  held  her  hand 
out  and  he  kissed  it  with  considerable  ardor.  Then 
Dolly  kissed  Sally  McKean. 

"Has  the  coiffeur  returned  Ma'am?"  suddenly  bel- 
lowed Lady  Merry. 

"The  servant  will  bring  thee  word,  Madam." 

"Fancy!"  shouted  the  dowager  at  the  top  of  her 
voice.  "After  being  jabbed  and  pulled  for  hours  by  a 
yokel  hairdresser — recommended  by  you  Ma'am, 
though  I  swear  he  learned  his  trade  in  a  stable — to  find 
he's  brought  no  powder!" 

"  'Tis  little  used  here,  now-a-days,  Ma'am,  said 
Dolly,  as  though  it  were  a  matter  of  very  little  con- 
sequence. 

"Indeed?     Since  when  I'd  like  to  know?" 

"It  went  out — with  the  English  Ma'am !  Except  for 
the  middle-aged,"  cooed  Dolly,  "The  gentlemen  com- 
plained that  it  soiled  their  coats." 

"Really!"  and  Lady  Merry  raised  her  lorgnettes  and 
fixed  them  on  Dolly's  rather  obviously  rosy  cheeks. 
"I  notice  they  don't  object  to  rouge!" 


150       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

Dolly  turned  to  Sally  with  a  smile  in  her  eyes,  "Yes 
— and — no!"  she  answered.  "Marquis,  I  suppose 
thee'll  be  leaving  us  for  Washington  soon?" 

"And  you  too,"  said  he  with  significance,  "at  least 
so  we  hear." 

"Too  bad,  isn't  it,  there's  no  lady  in  the  President's 
family,"  remarked  Lady  Merry,  "Seems  so  peculiar,  of 
course  I  don't  mean " 

"Mr.  Jefferson's  a  widower,  Ma'am,"  explained 
Dolly. 

"And  the  Vice  President?"  enquired  the  dowager. 

"Mr.  Burr  has  no  wife — at  least,  not  of  his  own. 
He's  a  widower  too." 

"There's  so  many  here — widowers.  How'd  that 
happen?  Don't  they  ever  take  second  wives?  Of 
course,  in  Mr.  Burr's  case,  'tis  easy  understood,  you've 
made  him  so  comfortable  here,  and  my  husband  too." 

Ena  looked  furious;  the  others  disconcerted,  but 
Dolly  smiled  serenely  on. 

"That's  just  what  Sir  Anthony  said,  Lady  Merry, 
'he  hadn't  been  so  contented  in  years.' ' 

"He  warned  me  such  accommodations  were  scarce 
and  dreaded  my  coming." 

"Quite  true !"  concurred  Dolly,  "so  he  kept  saying  all 
the  time,  Lady  Merry." 

"Ah!"  said  the  dowager.  Then  in  a  most  con- 
descending tone  she  exclaimed,  "My  good  woman, 
don't  bother  with  my  title.  Since  I  understand  they're 
taboo  here,  I'll  forego  being  Lady.  Call  me  plain 
Mrs." 

"Just  be  thy  own  natural  self,  Ma'am,  if  it  makes 
thee  feel  more  comfortable." 


THE  LADY  DAMNS  HER  HAIRDRESSER    1 5 1 

"The  coiffeur,  Madam,  with  the  powder,  he  es  here," 
said  Clotilde. 

"May  I  have  a  word  with  you,  Sir  Anthony?"  asked 
D'Yrujo,  and  the  two  men,  chatting  confidentially, 
strolled  out  into  the  hall. 

The  dowager  rose  and  headed  for  her  bedroom. 

"Oh,  dear!"  said  Dolly  with  mock  regret,  "and  just 
as  we  are  all  getting  cozy  too!" 

"I'm  as  sorry  as  you  are,"  retorted  the  dowager, 
"Believe  me,  I  haven't  said  half  that  is  in  my  mind." 

When  the  others  had  gone,  Ena  came  quickly  to 
Dolly  and  grasped  her  by  both  hands.  "Dear  Mrs. 
Todd,  please  forgive  Angie.  She's  not  half  as  bad  as 
this  at  times.  Just  at  present,  I  must  admit,  she's  un- 
bearable." 

"Don't  worry,  my  dear,"  laughed  Dolly,  "I  was 
born  for  both  war  and  repartee.  We  can  take  care  of 
each  other  I  think  without  sparing  cither's  feelings. 
She's  a  new  experience,  thy  sister.  I  must  ask  my  dear 
friend  Mistress  Sparkle  into  tea;  they'd  dote  on  each 
other!  Won't  it  be  fun!  Sally  you  must  come  and 
watch  the  fur  fly.  We'll  have  it  on  the  first  nice  rainy 
day  and,  Ena  dear,  you  must  come  too." 

"Thank  you,"  said  Ena  as  she  kissed  Dolly,  "I'd  do 
anything  in  the  world  for  you,  dear  Mrs.  Todd." 

And  she  ran  upstairs  to  assist  with  the  hairdressing. 

"Quite  a  handful,  Lady  Merry,  isn't  she?"  laughed 
Sally  when  she  and  Dolly  were  alone. 

"Quite,"  said  Dolly,  letting  her  anger  now  blaze  up 
for  the  first  time.  "She  can't  find  things  pleasant 
enough  to  say  to  me." 

"Ah!  yes.     I  notice  she  didn't  say  them,  though  I 


152       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

must  say  Dolly  she  didn't  succeed  in  putting  you  out." 

"Put  me  out!"  exclaimed  Dolly,  "I'd  like  to  see  her. 
She'd  go  out  herself  first.  I'd  turn  her  out  now  only  I 
owe  for  this  frock." 

"  'Tis  certainly  smartish,"  said  Sally,  as  she  carefully 
inspected  the  gown,  "but  why  all  this  finery?  You're 
not  going  to  the  ball,  to-night?" 

"No,  but  surely  one  can  dress  for  one's  own  pleasure ! 
Besides,"  she  added  with  a  smile  which  might  have 
meant  anything.  "Mr.  Madison  will  be  calling  on  his 
way  to  the  dance,  'bout  something  particular." 

"Oh,  yes,  of  course,"  enjoined  Sally,  quite  ignoring 
the  smile.  "He's  sure  to  be  at  the  dance  to-night.  His 
old  flame,  Kitty  Floyd,  is  to  be  at  the  party." 

"O — o — oh!  So  that's  the  something  particular," 
exclaimed  Dolly  in  surprise.  "But  what  of  her  par- 
son, the  chap  who  played  on  the  forte-pianer?" 

"Oh,  Heavens!  she  jilted  him  long  ago." 

"Laws,  'tis  a  habit  with  her!"  exclaimed  Dolly.  "If 
she  keeps  on  at  this  rate  no  man  will  be  safe  on  Long 
Island.  D'ye  suppose  she's  come  for  another  look  at 
Mr.  Madison?" 

"You  never  can  tell,"  answered  Sally,  sagely,  "as  a 
Cabinet  Minister,  she'll  probably  find  him  better  look- 
ing." 

"Yes,"  said  Dolly  dubiously,  "and  while  she's  at 
hand  to  console  him,  I  suppose  he  thinks  to  hurry  me  to 
an  answer." 

"Tell  me,"  asked  Sally  waxing  confidential,  "tell 
me,  will  you  marry  him?" 

"I've  half  a  mind  to." 

"Only  half,— where's  the  other  half?" 


THE  LADY  DAMNS  HER  HAIRDRESSER    153 

"Second  floor  front,"  said  Dolly. 

"But,  good  Heavens,  Dolly,"  cried  Sally  in  conster- 
nation, "you  don't  mean  to  tell  me  that  you're  thinking 
of  marrying  Mr.  Burr?" 

Dolly  leaned  back  in  the  arm  chair  before  answering 
her.  Her  eyes  were  fixed  pensively  upon  the  fire. 
"One  thinks  a  lot  of  things,  Sally,  when  the  day's 
long!" 

"Why,  Dolly  at  that  rate  'twould  be  sheer  madness, 
my  dear.  Why  they  say  that  half  the  women  he 
meets " 

"Please,  Sally!  Don't  tell  a  woman  she  mustn't 
love  a  man  because  other  women  love  him.  Compe- 
tition is  the  life  of  trade  my  dear.  But  remember  this," 
she  added  seriously.  "Whatever  I  think  of  Mr.  Burr 
I'll  take  precious  good  care  he  does'nt  know  it.  Are 
you  very  much  in  love,  Sally?" 

"Why, — yes,  I  suppose  so,"  answered  the  girl 
rather  dubiously.  "At  least  that  is  to  say — eh — I  ad- 
mire the  Marquis  immensely;  I  respect  him;  I  like 
him,  very  much.  He's  nice  looking,  his  manners  are 
charming " 

"  That's  the  man  for  you  to  marry  Sally !  He'll  make 
you  comfortable.  Do  you  know  what  love  really  is, 
dear?" 

"Why,  yes,  I  guess  so,"  said  Sally. 

"No  you  don't,  lucky  for  thee !  Just  keep  on  'guess- 
ing.' When  you  really  do  know  you'll  wish  you  didn't." 

D'Yrujo  and  Sir  Anthony  entered  the  room.  Lady 
Merry  and  Ena,  cloaked  and  veiled,  came  down 
the  stairs.  All  the  members  of  the  party  who  were 
going  to  the  ball  began  to  draw  on  gloves. 


154       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"Lady  Merry,  if  you'll  allow  me,"  said  Dolly  with 
her  most  bewitching  smile,  "Your  gown  is  gorgeous!" 

"D'ye  hear  that,  Ena?  I  said  'twas  good  enough. 
Haven't  had  it  on  my  back  since  my  thirtieth  birthday." 

"Gracious!"  said  Dolly,  "how  well  it's  worn!" 


CHAPTER  X 

DOLLY  TURNS  TO  COLONEL  BURR  FOR  GOOD  ADVICE 

AND  CLOTILDE,  HER  MAID,  LETS  A  MOST 

IMPORTANT  CAT  OUT  OF  THE  BAG 


O  masters,  lords  and  rulers  in  all  lands, 
How  will  the  future  reckon  with  this  man? 
How  answer  his  brute  question  in  that  hour 
When  whirlwinds  of  rebellion  shake  the  world? 
How  will  it  be  with  kingdoms   and  with  kings 
With  those  who  shaped  him  to  the  thing  he  is — 
When  this  dumb  Terror  shall  reply  to  God, 
After  the  silence  of  the  centuries? 

— EDWIN  MARKHAM — "The  Man  with  the  Hoe." 


I  am  but  mad  north-northwest:  when  the  wind  is  southerly,  I 
know  a  hawk  from  a  handsaw. 

— SHAKESPEARE — "Hamlet." 

AS  SOON  as  the  guests  had  departed  for  the  ball, 
Dolly  threw  herself  in  the  arm  chair  before 
the  fire  and  fell  into  a  revery.  But  it  did  not 
last  long.  Presently  she  was  startled  to  hear  the  sound 
of  a  banjo;  someone  was  playing  the  opening  strains  of 
"Oh,  Believe  Me,  If  All  Those  Endearing  Young 
Charms" — someone  who  seemed  to  be  in  the  room 
with  her.  Dolly  peered  around  the  corner  of  the  high- 
back  chair  and  saw,  to  her  amazement,  Burr  in  evening 
dress  standing  by  the  spinnet  plunking  on  the  banjo. 
"Well?"  laughed  Burr,  as  he  caught  her  eye. 

155 


156       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"Well?"  echoed  Dolly  and  then  added:  "Laws!  how 
you  startled  me." 

"Tell  me,"  said  Burr. 

"Tell  thee  what?"  said  Dolly. 

"Has  Jim  Madison  asked  you?" 

"What  makes  thee  think  so?"  asked  Dolly  sparring 
for  time. 

For  answer,  Burr  held  up  the  banjo. 

"Nonsense,"  said  Dolly. 

"I  dote  on  the  banjo,"  exclaimed  Burr  and  promptly 
began  to  play  again. 

"Nonsense,"  said  Dolly.  "  'Twas  left  here  by  a 
former  lodger;  I  fetched  it  from  the  attic  to  help  make 
conversation  if  Mr.  Madison  should  chance  to  call. 
But  I  never  knew  that  thee  could " 

"Heaven  forbid  that  I  couldn't  do  anything  that  Jim 
Madison  does !"  cried  Burr.  He  replaced  the  banjo  on 
the  spinnet  and  then  came  towards  her.  "Own  up, 
Dolly.  Did  he  make  love?" 

"Umph — yes — and — no. " 

"That's  like  him.    You  have  answered?" 

"No " 

"Ah!"  said  Burr  with  great  relief. 

"And— yes,"  added  Dolly. 

"That's  like  you — born  diplomat!" 

"Laws,"  protested  Dolly,  "should  I  jump  down  a 
man's  throat  the  moment  he  opens  his  mouth  to  speak 
of  marriage?" 

"No,  of  course  not,"  said  Burr  in  an  encouraging 
tone. 

"I  told  him  I  needed  time " 

"Quite  right,"  interjected  Burr. 


DOLLY  TURNS  TO  COLONEL  BURR     157 

"To  think  it  over " 

"By  all  means,  he  must  be  reasonable." 

"So  he  was,  most  reasonable,"  cried  Dolly,  "he  said 
he'd  wait  a  year  for  me — or  for  ever-- — " 

"I  never  knew  him  to  be  so — impulsive,"  said  Burr 
with  mock  surprise. 

"I  told  him  he  might  call  again  when  Congress  ad- 
journs." 

"I've  never  known  you  so  deliberate." 

"Why,"  said  Dolly  in  alarm,  "does  it  threaten  a 
long  session?" 

"Until  to-morrow." 

"Laws!  to " 

"To-morrow  they  adjourn  to  reassemble  in  Wash- 
ington for  the  inauguration.  Didn't  he  tell  you  that?" 

"Well,  yes — in  a  way.  That  is  he — a — mentioned 
Washington  but " 

"Omitted  the Deceived  you,  eh?  What's  hap- 
pened the  man?  He's  become  human  and  on  his  first 
meeting  with  you — how  shocking!"  And  Burr  helped 
himself  to  a  pinch  of  snuff. 

"Oh,  dear  no.  You're  wrong  there,"  protested 
Dolly,  "we've  met  before." 

"Then  he  deceived  me  as  well  as  you,"  said  Burr. 

"  'Twas  only  by  chance,  quite  informal.  My  heel 
slipped  on  the  icy  pavement  and  Mr.  Madison  set  me 
on  my  feet." 

"And  you  promptly  took  him  off  his,  eh?  Oh, 
Woman ! — Woman ! " 

"Don't  worry,"  and  Dolly  nodded  reassuringly,  "he 
can  take  care  of  himself." 

"He'll  have  to,"  said  Burr  seriously,  "And  if  he 


158       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

doesn't  make  you  marry  him,  I'll  make  you  marry  me." 

Dolly  leaned  back  in  the  chair  and  challenged  the 
man  with  her  eyes.  "Oh! — so  you  threaten  me?" 

"Threaten?  Dear  me,  no!  Preposterous!"  cried 
Burr.  "I've  paid  my  debt  of  gratitude  to  Madison. 
I've  brought  him  here,  I've  sung  his  praises  and  now 
you  must  choose  between  us." 

Dolly  rose  to  her  feet. 

"You  are  asking  me  to  marry  you?"  she  asked  with 
deliberation. 

"  'Tisn't  the  first  time,"  said  Burr  airily. 

Through  the  windows  the  sound  of  the  sleigh  bells 
could  be  heard  and,  very  faintly,  the  strains  of  the  tav- 
ern's orchestra  playing  a  waltz  in  the  ball-room  next 
door. 

Dolly  looked  in  the  mirror  before  she  replied. 

"No,  that's  true,  but  I've  never  taken  thee  serious." 

"You  do  now,"  said  Burr  with  emphasis.  "You 
looked  in  the  mirror.  That  convicts  you.  'Tis  the  first 
thing  a  woman  does  after  a  proposal." 

Dolly  threw  her  head  back  and  laughed  aloud.  "A 
proposal  from  you?  Oh,  dear — dear!  I'm  disap- 
pointed in  thee,  Ronnie  Burr,  so  disappointed!" 

"Disappointed?     Why?" 

"I've  always  counted  thee  friend,  a  good  friend," 
said  Dolly.  Then  dropping  into  her  Irish  brogue  she 
added,  "and  now  you  ask  me  to  marry  you.  Go  long 
with  you,  Ronnie  Burr!" 

She  waved  her  hand  as  though  she  would  dismiss 
him  without  further  words  but  Burr  was  quick  to  take 
possesion  of  it.  He  held  it  tight  in  both  of  his. 


159 

"Not  'till  you  answer.  Which  is  it  to  be  Dolly? 
Madison  or  me?" 

There  was  a  pause;  Dolly  drew  away  from  him, 
but  he  still  held  her  hand  tightly.  "Ask  me  to-mor- 


row." 


"To-morrow  may  be  Jemmy's"  cried  Burr.  "To- 
night is  mine." 

"Very  well,  then."  She  turned  and  faced  him. 
"Since  you  will  have  it.  Sit  down.  Now  advise  me." 

"Advise?"  asked  Burr,  bewildered. 

"As  a  friend  now,  how  would  thee  advise — as  my 
best  friend." 

"Oh,  hang  it!  that  isn't  fair  Dolly,"  protested  Burr, 
"You  put  me  on  my  honor." 

"It  has  never  failed  me,  Ronnie,"  she  said  with  a 
smile.  "Come  now,  between  Mr.  Burr  and  Mr.  Mad- 
ison, whom  had  I  better  take?" 

Burr  seemed  to  be  weighing  the  matter  for  the  mo- 
ment; then  he  said  rather  doubtfully.  "Both  have  their 
points." 

"  'Tis  that  that  troubles  me!"  Dolly  replied. 

"You've  known  Burr  longer,"  said  Burr. 

"Yes,  but  I  know  Madison  better.  Burr's  a  man  of 
mystery.  No  one  really  knows  him — no  one  ever  will 
— least  of  all  his  wife." 

"Sounds  very  pleasing,  Dolly,"  said  Burr  coaxingly. 
"  'Vice  President  and  Mrs.  Burr.'  " 

"  'Secretary  of  State  and  Mrs.  Madison/  "  echoed 
Dolly  laughingly  while  she  mimicked  Burr's  exact  tone. 

"Ah!  but  pardon  me,"  he  said  quickly.  "It  won't 
be  said  that  fashion." 


160       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"No,  why  not?"  demanded  Dolly  with  a  touch  of 
indignation. 

Burr  took  another  pinch  of  snuff  and  smiled. 

"  'Twill  be  said  t'other  way  about,  my  dear.  'Mrs. 
Madison  and  the  Secretary.'  ' 

"Oh!  so  that's  what  you  call  singing  his  praises?" 

"Yes,"  nodded  Burr. 

"Same  tune  as  'Buck  up  Jemmy,'  as  you  said  when 
you  slapped  him  on  the  back  the  other  day?" 

"Yes  to  you.     You're  clever,  Dolly,  ambitious." 

Dolly  sat  down  again  and  threw  out  her  hands  in  a 
gesture  as  though  to  protest. 

"I  know  you  best  of  them  all,"  cried  Burr.  "The 
most  adorable,  but  the  most  ambitious  woman  in  these 
sixteen  states. 

"Then,  of  the  honors  that  you  name,"  said  Dolly 
with  a  view  of  keeping  him  from  his  point.  "Which 
title  would  you  advise  me  to  accept?" 

"There's  a  better  one,  Dolly,"  parried  Burr.  He 
was  leaning  over  the  chair. 

"A  better,"  echoed  Dolly,  "Laws !  tell  me  it.  Surely 
not  'President  and  Mrs.  Jef '  " 

"No,  "laughed  Burr.  "Better  than  that  even!"  Then 
he  leaned  towards  her  and  whispered.  "Empress  of 
Mexico!" 

"Laws!"  laughed  Dolly,  springing  to  her  feet  again, 
"Still  buzzing  that  bee  in  your  bonnet.  Even  since  I've 
known  you,  Ronnie  your  head  has  run  on  Mexico." 

"More  than  ever!"  corroborated  Burr. 

"What,  now — now  that  you're  Vice  President?" 

"Because  of  that,"  said  Burr. 

He  led  her  to  the  couch  and  they  both  sat  down. 


DOLLY  TURNS  TO  COLONEL  BURR     161 

"The  thought  of  four  years — a  possible  eight  of 
conspicuous  insignificance  appals  me  and  against  that 
desert  of  ennui — an  empire  to  be  had  for  the  taking — 
an  empire  did  I  say?  Why,  Dolly,  you  and  I — we'd 
make  it  Paradise." 

"Go  on  like  this,"  laughed  Dolly,  "and  I'll  be  mar- 
rying you  just  to  keep  you  out  of  mischief — and  Mex- 
ico." 

"Patience,  Ma'am,"  he  said  more  seriously.  "Wait." 

"And  the  prize  you've  just  let  go?  The  Presidential 
prize  for  eight  years  at  most?" 

"Eight  years — "  repeated  Burr  ruthfully.  "Why, 
Dolly  I  shall  be  fifty!  For  a  man  of  that  age  there 
are  no  prizes — only  consolations." 

"Mr.  Madison  may  feel  the  same,"  said  Dolly,  mis- 
chievously, "Tho'  I  believe  he  is  a  bit  younger." 

"Humph!"  said  Burr.  "And  I  brought  him  here! 
What  a  joke  on  me!" 

"Joke?"  asked  Dolly. 

"Yes,"  said  Burr  turning  his  foot,  "If  the  tilt  of 
your  French  heel  should  change  my  destiny." 

"Why  not,"  asked  Dolly  quickly  tilting  her  nose. 
"  'Twas  the  tilt  of  Cleopatra's  nose  changed  Caesar's." 

"But  you  married  to  Madison  with  his  'yes — and — 
no!'  Oh,  it's  too  absurd,  preposterous!" 

"He'll  say  yes  or  no  if  I  marry  him,  rest  assured," 
she  declared,  "and  between  ourselves,  Ronnie — don't 
say  I  told  thee !  But  he's  worth  twenty  of  thee." 

"Quite  true,"  nodded  Burr.  "I  believe  you.  But 
not  for  you.  I'm  your  man,  Dolly!" 

He  came  close  to  her  and  looked  down  with  grim 


162       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

determination  in  his  face  though  his  lips  smiled,  "And 
you  know  it." 

She  rose  and  pushed  him  gently  away  from  her. 

"I  want  none  of  thee,"  she  cried,  "I've  always  told 
thee  so,  Ronnie  Burr." 

"I  never  took  you  serious,"  said  Burr. 

"The  conceit  of  the  man!"  cried  Dolly  as  though 
talking  to  herself.  "  'My  man'  indeed !  the  imperti- 
nence!" 

Burr  was  close  behind  her  now,  speaking  over  her 
shoulder  with  his  whole  heart  in  his  eyes. 

"Yes  Dolly,  your  man.  He  who  knows  you  best  of 
all ;  understands  you  to  the  full ;  who  sees  beneath  that 
prim  Quaker  kerchief  a  heart  in  rhythm  with  his  own; 
a  spirit  gay  and  daring  which  would  droop  like  a  caged 
bird  with  prosy,  timid  Jemmy." 

"Timid!"  cried  Dolly.  "I'd  question  that  of  any 
man  who  plays  the  banjo.  But  listen,  Ronnie,  I  am 


serious  now." 


She  turned  and  faced  him.  Burr  took  a  half  step 
backward. 

"With  him  I  should  have  peace,  calm,  the  assurance 
of  a  love  constant  and  absolute.  With  you  unceasing 
doubt  and  shame  of  rivalry,  the  torture  of  jeal- 
ousy  " 

"Never,"  cried  Burr  earnestly.  "Never,  I  can  swear 
to  that!" 

"Shure  you  can,"  said  Dolly  with  a  touch  of  her 
brogue,  "with  all  the  practice  you've  had!  And  the 
others  you  swore  it  to;  they  believed  you,  didn't  they?" 

"I  hope  so." 


DOLLY  TURNS  TO  COLONEL  BURR     163 

"And  now  you  expect — a  wise  widow  like  me,  to 
be  equally  foolish?" 

"No,"  cried  Burr,  "There's  the  irony!  The  one 
woman  with  whom  I  really  mean  it,  won't  believe  me." 

"Faith,"  she  smiled,  and  her  voice  took  on  a  ten- 
derer tone,  "you're  always  so  honest  with  me,  Ronnie, 
'tis  a  marvel  to  myself  that  I  ever  disbelieve  you." 

"Beg  pardon,  Madam,"  said  Clotilde,  in  the  door- 
way, "but  someone  brings  a  letter  for  Monsieur  Burr." 

The  band  at  the  tavern,  at  that  moment,  was  play- 
ing 'Robin  Adair.'  Dolly  never  heard  that  song  in  the 
after  years  without  associating  it  with  this  one  hour 
and  man. 

"Take  it  to  my  room,"  said  Burr. 

"Pardon  me,  Monsieur,  but  ze  man  he  say,  I  must 
give  it  right  into  your  very  hands." 

Burr  took  the  letter  and  Dolly,  walking  to  the  spin- 
net,  sat  down  and  began  to  strum  "Robin  Adair"  in 
time  with  the  band  next  door. 

"May  I?"  said  Burr  and  motioned  to  the  letter. 

"Why,  of  course,"  said  Dolly. 

From  the  spinnet,  Dolly  watched  him  and  noted  in- 
stantly, as  he  read,  the  serious  expression  which  settled 
on  his  face.  Once  he  looked  up  and  made  a  gesture  in 
her  direction  as  though  he  were  about  to  show  her  the 
letter,  then  as  quickly,  he  changed  his  mind.  He  stood 
wrapped  in  thought  for  several  moments,  finally  Clo- 
tilde, who  was  waiting  said: 

"Monsieur,  the  messenger  waits." 

"There  is  no  answer,"  said  Burr. 

Clotilde  started  to  go  and  Burr  called  after  her, 
"Remember  say  distinctly — No  answer." 


1 64       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

Again  he  fell  into  a  brown  study,  seeming  to  forget 
for  the  moment  that  Dolly  was  there.  It  was  she  at 
last  who  broke  the  silence. 

"She'll  be  heartbroken,  poor  thing!"  said  Dolly 
while  her  fingers  wandered  lazily  up  and  down  the 
keys.  "  'Tis  the  crudest  of  answers — 'there's  no  an- 
swer' !  Will  she  be  at  the  dance?" 

"Who?"  asked  Burr,  suddenly. 

Dolly  jumped  to  her  feet,  closed  the  spinnet  with 
a  bang,  and  then  pounded  in  rage  upon  the  cover. 

"Who?"  echoed  Dolly,  furious  now.  "My  eye  and 
Betty  Martin !  Who  d'ye  think?" 

She  strove  to  leave  the  room  but  Burr  intercepted 
her.  He  held  the  envelope  up  to  her  face. 

"Look,  Dolly,  don't  be  foolish!  Why  should  you 
be  jealous?  Is  that  a  lady's  script?" 

"Huh!  And  it's  little  I'd  care  whether  she's  lady 
or " 

Burr  was  in  smiles  again.  "I  wonder,  sometimes," 
he  said  sentimentally,  "if  you  really  care  as  little  as 
you  pretend?" 

"Sometimes,  I  wonder  too,"  said  Dolly. 

He  took  her  hands  again. 

"Then  put  away  all  question,"  he  said  earnestly. 
"I'll  justify  your  faith.  I  love  you,  I  adore  you,  I'd 
stake  my  life  for  you.  I  want  you  to  believe  that,  to- 
night Dolly  dear;  as  you  never  have  before." 

"Why,"  snapped  Dolly,  "just  because  Madison's 
calling?" 

Burr  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"Perhaps,"  he  said. 

"Ah,  you  fear  he  might  persuade  me,  eh?" 


DOLLY  TURNS  TO  COLONEL  BURR     165 

"No,  Dolly;  what  I  fear  is  that  you  might  persuade 
yourself.  Never  till  this  moment  did  I  realize  what 
a  woman's  love  could  mean  to  me." 

"You've  turned  forty,  Ronnie.  Love  comes  hard  at 
that  age,"  she  laughed.  "Go  'long  to  the  dance!  She'll 
be  waiting  for  thee." 

Burr  sighed  and  turned  towards  the  door.  Seeing 
that  she  had  hurt  him,  Dolly  turned  quickly  and  said 
laughingly,  "Save  one  for  me!" 

"All — everyone  if  you  like,"  he  said  as  he  turned 
towards  her. 

"No,  just  one.  The  first  waltz,  so  she  can't  have 
it." 

"Will  you  wait  up,  dear,  'till  I  return?" 

"Not  likely,"  said  Dolly.  "I  gave  up  that  habit 
long  ago." 

"I  shan't  be  long,"  he  said  almost  pleadingly,  "and 
there's  something, — something  I  may  want  to  tell  you." 

While  he  was  speaking  Clotilde  had  re-entered  the 
room.  She  seemed  agitated  and  her  hands  were  tremb- 
ling but  Dolly,  whose  back  was  towards  her,  did  not 
notice  either  her  presence  or  her  distress. 

"What  is  it  you  may  want  to  tell  me?"  she  asked. 

Burr  started  to  speak,  hesitated,  then  turned  towards 
Dolly  and  abruptly  said,  "Good  night." 

Dolly,  from  the  window-seat,  watched  him  pass 
down  the  street  on  his  way  to  the  ball,  but  in  a  mo- 
ment Clotilde  was  beside  her. 

"Madam!"  she  cried  excitedly. 

"Yes?    What?" 

"That  letter  was  from " 


i66       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"How  dare  you,  girl,"  said  Dolly  sternly,  "how  often 
have  I  told  you " 

"Oui,  Oui,  but  this  time  I  must  tell  you !  They  have 
quarreled,  they  have  quarreled!" 

"Who?" 

"Monsieur  Burr  and  Monsieur  Hamilton." 

"Oh,  laws!"  said  Dolly  lightly,  "They  always  do." 

"But  not  like  this,  Madam,  nevare  before  this  way. 
Marie  she  say " 

"Haven't  I  forbidden  thee  ever  to  repeat  Marie's 
chatter?" 

"Oui,  Madam,  but  this  time,"  Clotilde  was  wring- 
ing her  hands  now. 

Dolly  dismissed  her  with  a  gesture,  but  before  the 
girl  had  reached  the  door  her  mistress's  curiosity  had 
won  the  day. 

"What  did  she  say?"  asked  Dolly  more  gently. 
"What  is  all  this  nonsense  Marie's  been  telling  thee?" 

"They  are  to  fight,  Madam." 

"Fight !  You  mean  a  duel  ?"  cried  Dolly  thoroughly 
aroused  now. 

"Oui,  Madam,"  said  Clotilde  in  a  half  whisper, 
"and  'tis  about  a  lady." 

"Where  did  you  learn  all  this?" 

"Marie,  she  hear  it  at  Madam  Jumel's." 

"Have  you  spoken  to  anyone?' 

Clotilde  burst  out  crying. 

"Oh,  no,  Madam,  not  to  one  living  soul  except " 

"Answer  me.    Go  on." 

"Except,  Alixe,  Mr.  Burr's  young  man.  I  only  ask 
him " 

"And  he  told  you  it  was  all  nonsense,  of  course." 


DOLLY  TURNS  TO  COLONEL  BURR     167 

"Oh,  oui,  Madam,  oui,  Madam!" 

"Certainly.    A  lot  of  kitchen  gossip !" 

"But  all  the  zame,  Madam,  though  he  say  it's  a  lie 
he  slapped  my  face  and  then  he  say  to  me,  he  say,  'If 
I  tell  Madam  one  word,  he's  going  to  cut  my  tongue 
out.'  " 

"Ah,  he  said  that  did  he?" 

"Oui,  Madam,  but  of  coursee;  I  tell  you  queek." 

Jennings  appeared  at  the  door. 

"Mr.  Madison,"  he  announced. 

"Laws!"  cried  Dolly,  "I  can't  see  him  now.  Tell 
him  I'm  not  at  home.  Wait!"  as  Jennings  was  start- 
ing. "Yes,  I  am.  Show  him  in." 

Then  turning  quickly  to  Clotilde,  Dolly  gave  her 
orders. 

"Go  next  door,  at  once.  Have  Mr.  Burr  called  from 
the  ball-room.  Tell  him  Mrs.  Todd  will  wait  up  until 
he  returns." 


CHAPTER  XI 

COLONEL  BURR  TURNS  MUSICIAN  AND  MRS.  TODD 
NO  LONGER  TAKES  BOARDERS 


Her  feet  beneath  her  petticoat, 
Like  little  mice,  stole  in  and  out, 

As  if  they  feared  the  light: 
But  oh!  she  dances  such  a  way! 
No  sun  upon  an  Easter  day 

Is  half  so  fine  a  sight. 
— SIR  JOHN  SUCKLING — "Ballad  upon  a    Wedding." 


She  is  beautiful  and  therefore  to  be  wooed; 
She  is  a  woman  and  therefore  to  be  won. 

— SHAKESPEARE — "Henry  VI." 


This  is  my  lady!     She  will  never  know 

How  my  heart  breaks  because  my  heart  is  hers; 

I  am  the  nightingale, — she  was  the  rose ! 

Oh  give  me  leave  to  sing  to  her,  fair  sirs ! 

— RICHARD  LE  GALLIENNE — "Monody." 

OOD  evening,"  said  Dolly  as  Madison  ad- 
vanced,  all  smiles  and  bows  to  greet  her. 
"I  thought  thee  wasn't  to  call  'till  Con- 
gress had  adjourned." 

"I'm  not  to  blame,  Ma,am.  'Tis  not  my  fault  I  do 
assure  you.  I  come  on  behalf  of  Mr.  Jefferson — to 
urge  you  to  the  dance." 

"He  knows  I'm  still  in  mourning." 
"Oh,  too  bad!    Awkward,  isn't  it?"  said  Madison 
sympathetically. 

168 


COLONEL  BURR  TURNS  MUSICIAN     169 

"Yes,  indeed,"  sighed  Dolly,  "Oh,  I  assure  you  be- 
ing a  widow  isn't  all  cakes  and  ale!" 

"There  now!  That's  the  very  mood  we  hoped  to 
find  you  in,"  said  Madison  exultantly. 

"What  do  you  mean?  A  lonely  mood?"  asked 
Dolly. 

"Yes — and — no.  Not  exactly  a  lonely  mood  at 
that.  Rebellious,  is  what  Mr.  Jefferson  called  it.  So 
that  perhaps  you  would  welcome  a  little  diversion  and 
give  him  chance  to  add  his  persuasion  to  mine.  You 
may  not  have  heard  of  it,  Ma'am, — but  I  assure  you 
'tis  true,  none  the  less, — Mr.  Jefferson  is  most  anxious 
that  his  administration  should  be  graced  by  a  very 
clever  serious  woman." 

"Meaning  me,  of  course?"  laughed  Dolly.  "Ah, 
but  I  protest!  I'm  not  a  serious  woman.  Don't  be 
deceived  by  my  Quaker  cap,  Sir.  If  I  didn't  keep  it  tied 
very  tight  it  wouldn't  set  straight.  'Tis  only  fair  to 
warn  thee.  I  wouldn't  deceive  a  man  like  thee  for 
worlds.  Thee  knows  me  so  little,  Sir — scarcely  three 
days,  remember!" 

"Except  by  reputation,"  declared  Madison. 

"Drat  reputation!"  exclaimed  Dolly,  snapping  her 
fingers.  "What's  the  good  of  it  except  to  get  you  into 
trouble  and  give  your  friends  something  to  talk  about. 
Besides  reputation  is  rarely,  if  ever,  true.  Now  you've 
a  reputation  for  being  timid,  Sir — and  yet  here  you  are 
ready,  nay  eager,  to  marry  a  woman  you  might  never 
have  known  if  her  foot  hadn't  slipped!  As  for  my- 
self, I  wouldn't  marry  a  saint  on  his  reputation." 

"That's  a  comfort,  Ma'am,  'cause  I  couldn't  live  up 
to  mine." 


THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"Heaven  forbid  you  try!"  exclaimed  Dolly,  "  'twould 
keep  me  fretting  over  my  own  imperfections.  But  tell 
me,  Sir,  why  this  great  concern  of  Mr.  Jefferson  in  my 
answer  to  you?" 

"To  be  candid,  Ma'am,  Mr.  Jefferson  fears  that  a 
Cabinet  made  up  of  widowers  and  bachelors  might 
prove  unpopular.  I  am  the  youngest  among  them,  you 
see,  and  Mr.  Jefferson  has  as  much  as  intimated  that 
if  I  can't  find  a  wife,  I  had  better  decline  the  state 
portfolio." 

"Well,  I'd  given  no  thought  to  marrying  a  portfolio 
of  any  quality.  But,  Sir,  if  a  wife  is  all  that  is  wanting 
to  complete  Mr.  Jefferson's  Cabinet,"  she  rose  to  her 
feet  and  smiled  at  him,  "go  ask  Miss  Floyd." 

Madison,  so  disconcerted  he  could  scarcely  gasp, 
merely  blinked  at  her  as  she  continued: 

"She's  to  be  at  the  dance  to-night,  I  hear,  and  now 
that  she's  heard  more  than  enough  of  the  forte-planner, 
she  may  give  ear  to  the  banjo.  I  wish  thee  luck,  Sir." 

Madison  recovered  himself.  His  face  was  one 
broad  smile. 

"Dare  I  hope  or  believe,  Ma'am,"  he  asked  her 
eagerly,  "that  you're  just  a  wee  little  bit  'er " 

"Jealous?'5  prompted  Dolly,  "me?  Oh,  no,  Sir!  not 
in  the  least!  But  if  thee  thinks  thee  can  court  me  for 
campaign  purposes  as  a  part  of  Mr.  Jefferson's  polit- 
ical policy  or  a  piece  of  furniture  for  the  State  Depart- 
ment  " 

"But,  my  dear  lady!"  protested  Madison. 

"Go  find  Miss  Floyd,  Sir!"  cried  Dolly.  "She's  en- 
titled to  another  chance  anyway.  She's  come  all  the 
way  from  Long  Island  for  no  other  purpose  and  you 


COLONEL  BURR  TURNS  MUSICIAN     171 

must  own,  Sir,  that  I,  at  best,  was  no  better  than  a  sec- 
ond choice.  You'll  see  her  at  her  best  to-night — soft 
lights  and  music;  dancing  and  flashing  eyes — and — 
who  knows? — once  thee  has  her  in  thy  arms  again!" 

As  she  spoke  Dolly  walked  to  the  spinnet  and  sitting 
down  began  to  play. 

"Never,  Ma'am!"  protested  Madison,  profoundly 
agitated. 

"But  you  will  to-night — in  the  waltz;  and  to  that 
music!" 

She  rose  from  the  spinnet  and  threw  open  the  big 
bow  window.  The  chill  night  air  blew  in,  bellow- 
ing out  the  curtains  and  clinking  merrily  the  crys- 
tals on  the  chandeliers.  With  it  came  the  sound  of  the 
music.  They  were  playing  a  waltz,  soft  and  alluring. 

"And  to  that  music,"  Dolly  went  on,  "listen  to  it! 
Just  come  from  France,  the  most  ravishing  tune  this 
season.  I  dare  swear  they're  dancing  to  it  in  all  the 
capitols  of  Europe  now." 

"Alas!"  cried  Madison,  "But  I  fear  me,  my  poor 
clumsy  heels  aren't  up  to  that." 

"Never  fear!  the  tune  will  carry  you  along,  once 
you  get  it  well  in  mind.  Here,  try  it  on  the  banjo.  That 
will  help." 

He  took  the  instrument  from  her  and  began  to 
twang  on  it.  Dolly  sat  down  at  the  spinnet  again. 

"Give  me  D  please,"  said  Madison  tuning  up. 

"Dost  thee  play  by  note  or  ear?"  asked  Dolly. 

"Yes— and— no." 

"D — D  you  said,  Sir?"  asked  Dolly  impatiently, 
but  as  a  matter  of  fact  the  beginning  of  her  question 
had  sounded  far  more  like  an  oath. 


172       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"If  you  please,"  said  Madison  seating  himself,  and 
strumming  away  for  dear  life. 

"As  for  the  dance,  itself,  it's  very  simple,  Sir."  She 
rose  from  the  spinnet  and  with  one  hand  lifted  her 
skirt  just  high  enough  to  afford  a  temporary  glimpse 
of  a  pair  of  fetching  black  silk  stockings. 

"Something  between  a  highland  fling  and  a  pigeon 
wing.  Goes  like  this  you  see — one — two — three — one 
— two — three !  Once  you're  in  the  swing  of  it  your 
heels  fairly  fly!" 

Madison  watched  her  swirl  about  the  room  with  open 
admiration;  his  crossed  leg  kept  time  to  the  rhythm  of 
the  waltz. 

"One  arm  about  thy  partner,  so — "  cried  Dolly, 
continuing  to  illustrate.  "  'Tis  sometimes  done  with 
both;  and — if  the  floor  be  slippery — take  care  thee 
holds  her  tight!" 

"Let  me  try  it,  Ma'am,"  cried  Madison,  springing 
to  his  feet.  "I'm  quite  sure  I  could  learn  with  you  for 
teacher. 

"By  all  means!"  cried  Dolly  and  she  allowed  him  to 
draw  her  towards  him.  Then  Madison  started  to  put 
his  arm  about  her;  but  she  quickly  drew  away. 

"No  need  of  that,  Sir.  I'm  only  your  instructor;  I'm 
not  Miss  Floyd." 

"Yes,  I  know,  but  'hold  her  tight'  you  said." 

"//  the  floor  be  slippery,  that's  what  I  said,"  ex- 
claimed Dolly.  "Come  on  now!  One — two — three — 
One — two — three ! " 

There  was  a  warning  cough  from  up  stairs  some- 
where and  Colonel  Burr  appeared  on  the  upper  land- 
ing. He  had  evidently  returned  from  the  ball  and  en- 


COLONEL  BURR  TURNS  MUSICIAN     173 

tered  the  house  by  way  of  the  servants'  entrance,  for 
he  was  now  dressed  in  riding  clothes.  A  cloak  was 
slung  across  one  arm  and  in  his  hand  he  carried  a  riding 
whip.  "Beg  pardon  for  interrupting  you,"  exclaimed 
Burr  over  the  banister,  "but " 

Both  Madison  and  Dolly  stopped  dancing  suddenly. 
It  would  be  hard  to  say  which  was  the  more  em- 
barrassed. 

"Thee  must  have  left  the  ball  very  early,"  exclaimed 
Dolly  as  she  pulled  herself  together. 

"Yes,"  smiled  Burr.     "Evidently  just  in  time!" 

"Mrs.  Todd  was  just  showing  me "  Madison 

began  to  explain. 

"Yes,"  started  Burr  still  smiling,  "Your  first  steps 
in  diplomacy — though  Mr.  Jefferson  tells  me  you  may 
decline  the  State  portfolio ! 

"Yes — and — no,"  said  Madison. 

"Because  your  appointment  is  opposed?"  questioned 
Burr. 

Madison,  with  a  look,  tried  to  make  Burr  change  the 
subject;  but  Dolly  caught  the  glance  of  the  eye. 

"Opposed!"  she  exclaimed,  "by  whom,  pray?" 

"Mr.  Hamilton,  chiefly,"  replied  Madison,  much 
averse  to  discussing  the  subject. 

"What,"  said  Dolly  suspicious  in  a  moment.  "When 
did  this  happen?  The  day  Colonel  Burr  brought  you 
here?" 

"My  few  words  in  Congress  on  Burr's  behalf  en- 
raged Hamilton  it  seems,"  continued  Madison.  "He 
has  threatened  to  harrass  the  Administration  if  I'm 
made  State  Secretary." 

"Ah!"  exclaimed  Dolly,  "and  that  is  why  you  de- 


174       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

clined  the  post, — not  because  you  can't  find  a  lady  for 
the  State  Department.  You  haven't  been  frank  with 
me  Mr.  Madison." 

"I'm  sure,  Ma'am,  if  you  understood,"  protested 
Madison. 

"I  quite  understand,"  responded  Dolly. 

"My  acceptance,"  continued  Madison,  "as  Mr.  Burr 
well  knows  might  embarrass  others." 

"My  dear  Madison  give  yourself  no  uneasiness  on 
that  score,"  said  Burr  with  meaning.  "Mr.  Hamilton, 
I  promise  you  will  give  us  no  trouble." 

"If  I  felt  sure  of  that  I  might  reconsider,"  wav- 
ered Madison. 

"Reconsider?"  echoed  Dolly  contemptuously. 
"Nothing  of  the  sort,  Sir.  Tell  him  straight  you'll 
take  the  post." 

"So  I  will, — "answered  Madison  with  firmness. 
Then,  faltering  as  ever,  he  murmured  weakly,  "to- 
morrow." 

"Not  to-morrow,  Sir;  to-night,"  said  Dolly  decis- 
ively. 

"At  the  ball?"  asked  Madison. 

"The  moment  you  see  him — and  no  matter  where — 
and  before  you  waltz  with  Miss  Floyd." 

"Yes — and — no,"  repeated  Madison  as  though  at  a 
loss  for  anything  better  to  say. 

This  last  remark  was  too  much  for  Dolly's  sense 
of  humor.  She  burst  out  laughing. 

"Mr.  Madison,"  she  remarked,  "life's  done  so  much 
for  thee!  Thy  ancestry  gave  thee  a  fine  head,  thy 
college  gave  thee  learning,  the  nation's  given  thee 
honors,  Mr.  Jefferson  offers  thee  this  post  of  power. 


COLONEL  BURR  TURNS  MUSICIAN     175 

Now  this  thee  should  do  for  thyself.  For  Heaven's 
sake  buck  up  man  and  learn  to  say  yes  or  no!" 

"On  some  points  one  can't  always  make  sure,"  said 
Madison  ponderingly. 

"Then  make  a  guess;  and  trust  to  luck,"  cried 
Dolly.  "  'Tis  an  even  chance  always  'twixt  yes  and 
no.  Now  I'm  going  to  make  a  bargain  with  thee  Mr. 
Madison.  When  thee  makes  up  thy  mind  to  leave  off 
one  or  t'other,  I'll " 

Madison  looked  at  her  expectantly;  Burr  looked 
quite  prepared  to  hear  the  worst. 

"Leave  off  rouge,"  concluded  Dolly. 

"Agreed!"  cried  Madison  and  by  way  of  sealing  the 
bond  he  kissed  her  hand. 

"Good,"  cried  Dolly,  "now  away  with  thee  man  to 
the  ball  and — do  thy  damndest  for  Miss  Floyd!" 
Dolly,  as  a  courteous  hostess  walked  with  Madison  as 
far  as  the  front  door  leaving  Burr  to  himself  in  the 
drawing  room. 

"What  a  woman  can  make  of  a  man!"  he  exclaimed. 
Throwing  his  cloak  and  riding-whip  on  the  table,  Burr 
strolled  across  to  the  spinnet.  He  sat  down  and 
began  to  strum.  Evidently  Madison  and  Dolly,  on 
their  way  to  the  door,  had  found  fresh  matters  to  dis- 
cuss for  Dolly  was  gone  some  little  time.  Even  when 
the  door  slammed  to  she  did  not  return  immediately. 
But  that  fact  did  not  seem  in  the  least  to  disturb  Colo- 
nel Burr.  Knowing  the  sex  as  well  as  he  did  there 
was  a  suspicion  in  his  mind  that  Dolly  was  listening  to 
him  play  the  spinnet  and  thoroughly  amazed  that  he 
possessed  an  accomplishment  of  which  she  had  not 
known  before.  So  to  double  her  amazement  Colonel 


176       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

Burr  began  to  sing.  He  had  a  rather  high  but  ex- 
tremely resonant  baritone  voice  and  these  were  the 
lines  he  sang : 

"There  was  a  time,  I  need  not  name, 

Since  it  will  ne'er  forgotten  be, 
When  all  our  feelings  were  the  same 

As  still  my  soul  hath  been  to  thee. 
And  from  that  hour,  when  first  thy  tongue 

Confess'd  a  love  which  equall'd  mine, 
Tho'  many  a  grief  my  heart  hath  wrung, 

Unknown,  and  thus  unfelt  by  thine. 

As  he  finished  the  verse,  Burr  glanced  significantly 
towards  the  hallway  but  Dolly  gave  no  sign  of  return- 
ing. Still  as  the  door  stood  open  he  knew  quite  well 
she  must  have  heard  him.  So,  with  a  little  smile  to 
himself,  he  began  to  sing  again,  a  little  louder  now: 

"None,  none  have  sunk  so  deep  as  this — 

To  think  how  all  thy  love  hath  flown : 
Transient  as  every  faithless  kiss 

But  transient  in  thy  breast  alone. 
And  yet  my  heart  some  solace  knew ; 

When  late  I  heard  thy  lips  declare, 
In  accents  once  imagined  true, 

Remembrance  of  the  days  that  were." 

Dolly  entered  presently  with  an  air  of  rather  obvious 
disconcern. 

"What  a  pretty  song,  Ronnie.  Since  when  did  thee 
turn  tenor?  Never  heard  thee  sing  before  and  I 
didn't  know  thee  played  the  spinnet.  Laws !  You'll  be 
strumming  the  forte-planner  next,  like  Miss  Floyd's 
jilted  parson.  But  'tis  a  pretty  song,  Ronnie.  Where 
did  you  pick  it  up?" 

"Oh,  but  there's  another  verse,"  smiled  Burr  as  he 
rose  from  the  spinnet,  "a  much  prettier  one  too.  To 


COLONEL  BURR  TURNS  MUSICIAN.     177 

my  mind  it  scans  better.  Shall  I  sing  it  to  you?"  He 
picked  up  the  banjo  and  began  to  strum  an  accompani- 
ment. This  time  as  he  sang,  he  looked  Dolly  full  in 
the  eye  while  his  face  wore  a  melancholy  smile. 

"Yes,    My  adored,  but  most  unkind, 

Though  thou  wilt  never  love  again, 
To  me  'tis  doubly  sweet  to  find 

Remembrance  of  that  love  remain. 
Yes !    'Tis  a  glorious  thought  to  me 

Nor  longer  shall  my  soul  repine, 
What  ere  thou  art,  or  ere  shalt  be, 

Thou  hast  been  dearly,  solely  mine." 

As  he  sang  the  last  few  lines,  Dolly  turned  away 
from  him  and  walked  to  the  fireplace.  As  he  finished 
and  laid  the  banjo  down,  she  stood  with  her  arm  lean- 
ing on  the  mantle-piece  with  her  face  hidden  from  him. 
Burr  surmised,  however,  that  the  little  ballad  and  his 
rendering  of  it  had  reduced  her  to  tears. 

"Pretty  little  song,  isn't  it?"  said  he  when  he  saw 
that  she  had  no  intention  of  referring  to  it  further. 

"Yes,  quite.  Is  it  extemporary?  Don't  tell  me, 
Ronnie,  you've  turned  poet  too !  Musician — composer 
— singer" — and  Dolly  began  to  reckon  off  upon  her 
fingers — "banjoist — poet.  Laws!  What  a  list  of  ac- 
complishments !  You've  been  hiding  your  lights  under 
a  bushel,  Ronnie;  and  there's  enough  of  'em  to  almost 
make  a  torch  procession!  I'd  no  idea  you  were  so 
clever!" 

"Yes,  but  my  small  accomplishments  like  my  small 
vices,  Dolly,  I  always  strive  to  keep  hidden  from  my 
friends.  But  on  one  point  you  are  wrong.  I'm  no  poet. 
I  didn't  write  that  song  tho'  I  thoroughly  agree  with  its 
sentiments.  Pretty  little  trifle  isn't  it?" 


178       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"Yes,  charming,  but  rather  hard  on  the  lady,  don't 
you  think?"  said  Dolly.  "Who  taught  it  thee?  To 
whom  did  thee  first  sing  it — Madam  Jumel?" 

"Oh,  dear  no!"  laughed  Burr,  "why  Betty'd  boxed 
my  ears  if  I  had !  But  I  heard  it  at  her  house  the  other 
night  for  the  first  time.  Young  Tom  Moore  sang  it, 
tho'  it's  not  his  either.  'Twas  written  by  some  young 
Lord  Tom-noddy-or-something — Byron,  I  think  his 
name  is.  Moore,  who's  poetical  cock-of-the-roost  him- 
self was  magnanimous  enough  to  declare  he's  the  com- 
ing man.  He  taught  me  another  one  of  Byron's  too, 
called,  'When  We  Two  Parted.'  I'll  sing  it  to  you 
some  day,  Dolly.  But  not  to-night,  'tis  too  sad." 

"And  so  you  learned  this  song  at  Madam  Jumel's 
the  other  night  especially  for  my  benefit,  eh?  'Twas  a 
pretty  attention,  Ronnie,  and  it's  a  prety  song.  But  I 
consider  it  damned  impertinent  of  you  to  sing  it  to  me, 
all  the  same!  'Tis  almost  as  bad  as  your  'my  man.' 
You're  far  too  sure  of  yourself,  Mr.  Burr!" 

Burr  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  sighed. 

"See  what  a  woman  can  make  of  a  man!"  he  ex- 
claimed half  apologetically. 

"Yes,"  laughed  Dolly,  now  in  good  humor  again. 
"Plenty  tried  their  hands  on  you — and  a  nice  cup  of 
tea  they've  made  of  it  this  time."  She  threw  the  "this 
time"  at  him  with  a  sudden  fierceness  which  made  Burr 
start. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  'this  time?'  "  asked  Burr  in 
consternation. 

"Just  what  I  say !  And  you  know  well  enough  what 
I  mean." 

"No  I  don't.    What " 


COLONEL  BURR  TURNS  MUSICIAN     179 

"You're  going  to  fight  Hamilton." 

"Good  God!  Ma'am,"  cried  Burr  taken  completely 
by  surprise,  "who  told  you  that?" 

"Thank  you,"  said  Dolly  calmly,  "I  was  afraid  you'd 
deny  it." 

"You  shouldn't  know — you  mustn't  know — it's " 

"Yes,  but  I  do." 

"Who  told  you?"  he  demanded  sternly.  "Was  it 
Pinckney?" 

"Beau  Pinckney?"  echoed  Dolly. 

"Yes,  Beau  Pinckney.  I've  known  for  some  time 
that  he  was  put  here  to  spy  on  me,"  exclaimed  Burr  as 
he  walked  excitedly  up  and  down  the  room. 

"Laws !"  laughed  Dolly  sarcastically.  "See  how  you 
magnify  things.  You  think  yourself  so  clever.  But 
put  you  at  table  with  a  pretty  woman  and  some  wine 
and  the  rest  of  the  world  dissolves — you're  in  the 
clouds — but  your  soul's  secret  goes  below  stairs  with 
every  empty  bottle  and  change  of  plate." 

"I'll  deny  what  you've  heard"  questioned  Burr. 

"Why — why  should  you  deny  it?"  asked  Dolly. 

"So  that  you  may  say  I  denied  it,"  he  exclaimed  ex- 
citedly. "Don't  you  see,  Dolly.  Can't  you  compre- 
hend? You  must  know  nothing  of  all  this." 

"Why? — why? — what  am  I  in  this  quarrel  between 
thee  and  Hamilton?" 

"Nothing! — nothing!  nothing  at  all,  only — "  and 
he  began  to  speak  lightly  again,  "he's  determined  to 
destroy  me  and " 

"So  you  always  said,"  exclaimed  Dolly,  "and  he  of 
you.  You've  been  at  each  other's  throats  from  the  time 
you  were  boys  with  Washington." 


i8o       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"Whom  he  set  against  me  and,  later, — damn  him ! — 
denied  me  troops  at  the  very  gates  of  Quebec  with 
Canada  all  but  won." 

"But  no  duel!"  exclaimed  Dolly. 

"He  fought  me  for  Governor,"  said  Burr  bitterly, 
as  he  sat  on  the  arm  of  the  couch  with  clenched  hands, 
"he  'kept  me  from  the  Embassy  of  France  though  the 
Senate  had  three  times  ordered  my  appointment." 

"But,  still  no  duel!" 

"He  kept  me  from  the  Presidency,"  continued  Burr 
heedless  of  Dolly's  interruptions. 

"That  was  politics.    And  still  no  duel  I" 

"Yes.  'Till  now  when  he  has  turned  the  careless 
chatter  of  his  own  dinner  table  to  destroy  me." 

"Destroy?"  cried  Dolly  contemptuously  as  she  turned 
and  faced  him,  "destroy?  What  can  a  man  like  Ham- 
ilton do  to  destroy  a  man  like  you?" 

Burr  opened  his  snuff-box  and  took  a  pinch.  He 
was  calm  now. 

"He  says  I'm  a  dangerous  man." 

"And  that's  the  reason  for  a  duel,  eh?"  cried  Dolly. 
"Why  if  it  were,  you'd  have  to  fight  half  the  men  in 
the  United  States — and  all  the  women!  He's  always 
called  you  dangerous.  That  isn't  the  reason." 

"It's  what  we've  agreed  to  name  the  reason." 

"Ah,"  said  Dolly,  divining  his  thought.  "To  whom 
did  he  say  it?  Where?" 

"He  let  the  words  fall  here  and  there  wherever  he 
thought  they  would  serve  his  purpose.  That  I  could 
ignore.  I  could  at  least  pretend  not  to  know.  So  in 
order  that  I  must  know  he  proclaims  it.  How?  In  a 
letter,  a  private  letter " 


COLONEL  BURR  TURNS  MUSICIAN     181 

"A  private  letter?"  echoed  Dolly. 

"Yes,"  exclaimed  Burr,  "but  designed  for  the  public 
through  the  press, — beautifully  designed  as  only  he 
could.  You  ought  to  know  Dolly.  I  showed  you  one 
of  these  epistles  of  his  the  other  day.  What  a  wonder- 
ful man!  What  a  genius!"  cried  Burr  in  sarcastic  ad- 
miration. "Lord !  if  he  had  really  been  my  friend  the 
two  of  us  might  have  swept  the  world  together.  The 
worst  of  it  is,  I've  always  been  fond  of  him — in  spite 
of  everything.  That  you  know,  Dolly.  Even  now  I'm 
giving  him  every  chance,  I've  only  asked  that  he  deny 
or  acknowledge." 

"And  he  refused?"  questioned  Dolly. 

"No,  he  quibbles,  he  falters,  he  evades.  Yes  if  I 
will  specify  the  instance,  the  particular  occasion  or  the 
word " 

"Well  then  why  don't  you  specify  it?  That  should 
be  simple  enough." 

"Oh,  no,  that's  the  trap!"  and  Burr  shook  his  head, 
"the  ingenious,  crafty,  deadly  trap,  to  trick  me  to  the 
issue:  to  dare  me  or  drive  me  to  avow  for  him." 

"Then  Hamilton  knows  the  occasion  you  have  in 
mind?" 

"As  well  as  I.  But  he  dare  not  proclaim  it,  save  at 
every  sacrifice  of  chivalry,  manhood,  honor " 

"Ah!" — a  great  light  came  into  Dolly's  face;  she 
clasped  her  hands  together — "A  woman,  of  course.  I 
knew  it!  Who  is  she?" 

"No,  no,  Dolly!  You're  wrong.  You're  jumping 
at  conclusions.  Hear  me  out!" 

"The  truth,  who  is  she?"  insisted  Dolly  thrusting 
all  explanations  aside.  "Back  of  all  the  quarrels  'tween 


1 82       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

you  two  there's  always  been  a  she.  'Bove  all  the  high- 
sounding  phrases  of  politics  and  principles,  there's 
always  been  for  knowing  ears  the  rustle  of  a  petticoat. 
You've  endured  much — from  each  other  in  public  life; 
it's  been  give  and  take,  in  fairness,  restraint  and  rea- 
son, and  now,  at  the  top  of  your  careers  only  one 
thing  could  bring  you  two  to  the  pistol  point  and  she's 
a " 

"Dolly!     Dolly!"  cried  Burr,  trying  to  silence  her. 

"Oh,  I  can't  say  the  word  'cause  I'm  a  Quaker, 
damn  it!  But  it's  twice  too  good  for  the  hussy  and 
you  don't  dare  deny  it.  The  woman  who  would  bring 
you  two  men  to  seek  each  other's  life — well,  it's  only 
because  she's  tired  of  one  of  you  and  she  doesn't  know 
which.  And  as  you  and  Hamilton  are  equally  uncer- 
tain, you  fight!" 

"That  is  sure,"  said  Burr  grimly,  "it  must  end  for 
one  of  us." 

"Yes,"  cried  Dolly,  "and  which  ever  remains  be- 
hind will  wish  he  had  been  the  other." 

There  were  tears  in  her  eyes,  she  was  quivering  with 
excitement, 

"And  just  then  when  you  asked  me  to  be  your  wife, 
you  knew  all  this?" 

"Yes,"  said  Burr. 

"And  with  my  word  pledged  to  you,  you  would  in- 
volve me  in  this  scandal,  perhaps  tragedy?" 

Burr  paused  a  moment  before  answering.  "Yes," 
he  said  again. 

"Oh,  Ronnie,"  she  exclaimed  with  a  break  in  her 
voice,  "was  that  fair  or  honest  or  decent?" 

"No.    It  wasn't  perhaps,"  said  Burr  in  a  matter  of 


COLONEL  BURR  TURNS  MUSICIAN     183 

fact  tone.  Then  he  added  tensely,  "But  I  want  you, 
Dolly,  I  want  you!" 

She  turned  from  him  and  walked  disconsolately 
away.  "Yes  thee  wanted  to  make  sure  of  me  before 
thee  left  on  this  awful  errand  so  that  if  thee  returned, 
well  —  whatever  had  happened,  thee  knew  I'd  keep  my 
word." 

He  went  to  her  and  took  her  hand  again. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  "and  if  I  didn't  return  you'd  keep 
me  here."  He  beat  his  hand  upon  his  heart,  "No  mat- 
ter who  called  you  wife." 

With  both  her  hands  she  pushed  the  man  away 
from  her,  then  with  disdain  and  sorrow  in  her  voice 
she  cried: 

"You're  without  shame  or  conscience,  without  fear 
of  God  or  man!" 

"True,"  said  Burr.     "That  much  I  love  you!" 

"Then,"  cried  Dolly,  bursting  into  tears,  "Then  you 
will  not  do  this  mad  thing  —  this  wicked,  stupid,  silly, 


"Wait,  wait!"  cried  Burr,  "Listen  to  me, 
Dolly  -  " 

"Yes,  that's  what  it  is,  Ronnie  Burr,  a  blunder,  —  a 
blunder  that  shames  you  —  you  who  have  always  called 
blunder  worse  than  sin;  and  Lord!  how  they'll  laugh 
at  you!" 

She  threw  her  head  back  and  laughed,  though  the 
tears  were  still  in  her  eyes. 

"Laugh?     Who'll  laugh?"  cried  Burr  indignantly. 

"Everyone"  —  and  Dolly  faced  him  again  —  "every- 
one to  see  you  go  to  the  Devil  just  as  they  have  always 
predicted  —  just  for  a  petticoat!" 


1 84       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"And  so  I  would,  Dolly, — any  day, — for  the  woman 
I  loved." 

"Yes,  and  take  her  to  the  Devil  with  you — any  day! 
But  only  for  one  day;  and  then  you'd  be  coming  back 
for  another!" 

She  folded  her  arms  and  defied  him. 

"You  shan't  do  so  with  me." 

Burr,  overcome,  started  to  take  her  in  his  arms, 

"Good  God !  Dolly  dear,  can't  you  see "  he  began 

pleadingly. 

"Ah,"  cried  Dolly  exultantly,  "I  knew  it!  Now 
we've  the  truth.  I'm  the  quarrel  between  you  two!" 

"No,  no,  on  my  oath!"  denied  Burr. 

"That  for  your  oath !"  and  she  snapped  her  fingers  in 
his  face.  "  'Gainst  your  every  tone  and  look  just  now! 
And  when  I  damned  the  woman  you  didn't  dare  defend 
her  lest  you  betray  yourself  as  just  now.  Even  without 
that  I'd  have  guessed  it.  Madison  opposed  for  office 
because  'Burr's  a  dangerous  man.'  Who  could  doubt 
what  that  means?  And  that  much  you  love  me,  Ron- 
nie Burr!  You'd  make  that  love  a  by-word  and  a 
scandal  and  every  finger  point  at  me." 

"Oh,  no,"  said  Burr,  grimly,  "not  when  I've  done 
with  Mr.  Hamilton." 

"You  shall  not,  you  shall  not!"  she  cried,  "I  forbid 
you!" 

"There's  no  turning  back  now,  Dolly,"  said  Burr 
quietly,  "not  even  for  your  sake.  I  must  meet  him." 

"Meet  him,  yes,  but  with  no  harm  to  him." 

"Why,  Dolly,  its  impossible,"  smiled  Burr.  "I 
should  be  the  laughing  stock!" 

"Why?"  demanded  Dolly,  "You've  fought  before 


COLONEL  BURR  TURNS  MUSICIAN     185 

and  left  your  man  unhurt — foretold  the  very  button 
you'd  shoot  from  off  his  coat — satisfied  your  honor 
with  a  mere  show  of  your  skill.  And  so  you'll  do 
now!" 

"It  is  impossible." 

"Then  I'm  done  with  you,"  she  cried  vehemently. 

"Oh,  Dolly,  Dolly!" 

"Done  with  you,  Sir.    Do  you  hear?" 

She  went  to  the  desk,  snatched  a  sheet  of  paper  and 
began  to  write. 

Burr  stood  there  watching  her  regretfully,  but  with 
great  tenderness  in  his  eyes. 

"And  you'll  take  Madison  ?  He  came  for  his  answer 
to-night?" 

"He  went  away  without  it,"  answered  Dolly,  still 
writing,  "when  by  accident  I  learned  of  this  quarrel  to- 
night, I  made  believe  to  be  jealous  to  avoid  that  answer. 
I  told  him  he  must  wait  until  he'd  seen  his  old  flame, 
Miss  Floyd.  But  now  he  shall  have  his  answer.  This 
is  it " 

She  sealed  the  note  and  rising  pulled  the  bell-rope, 
but  before  it  could  be  answered,  Burr  intercepted  her. 

Gently,  but  with  firmness,  he  took  the  letter  from 
her  hand. 

"You  don't  love  him,"  he  said. 

Dolly  looked  at  Burr  but  made  no  reply.  The  sheer 
dominance  of  the  man  held  her  as  under  a  spell. 

Clotilde  opened  the  door. 

"Madam?"  she  said  questioning. 

Before  Dolly  could  speak,  Burr  turned  quickly. 

"Tell  my  man  to  make  ready,  I'm  leaving  at  once," 
he  said. 


He  turned  to  Dolly  again,  as  Clotilda  ran  up  the 
stairs  and  he  tore  the  note  to  pieces. 

"You  don't  love  him,"  he  repeated. 

"But  I  will,  when  you're  gone,"  exclaimed  Dolly 
quickly  rallying.  "I  shall  when  you're  not  near  me. 
When  you  are  here," — she  passed  her  hand  across  her 
brow  as  though  to  dispel  some  charm — "I'm  little 
better  than  the  other  women  whom  you  can  make  do  as 
you  bid  them." 

"And  if  I  do  as  you  bid?"  he  asked  eagerly. 

"Why — why — in  that  case,"  answered  Dolly  in  a 
troubled  tone,  "thee  can  come  back  for  thy  answer." 

"Ah-ha!"  laughed  Burr,  joyously,  "I  shall  be  back 
within  the  week." 

"You  will  shoot  to  miss?"  she  questioned  radiantly. 

"Of  course." 

"At  no  risk  to  thyself,  though." 

"Word  of  honor,"  cried  Burr,  "wish  me  God- 
speed." 

"And  a  speedy  return,"  cried  Dolly, — "if  thee 
doesn't  fail  me." 

Burr  moved  as  if  to  kiss  her  but  she  drew  away. 

"Fail  you!"  he  exclaimed  enthusiastically,  "Fail  you, 
and  lose  all  chance  of  you?  Why,  I'd  rather  he'd  kill 
me." 

"So  would  I,"  said  Dolly  with  fervor. 

He  kissed  her  hand,  bowed  low  and  departed. 

The  waltz  music  from  the  tavern  still  came  floating 
through  the  window.  She  rang  the  bell  to  summon  Clo- 
tilde  and  then  went  to  her  favorite  seat  by  the  fire- 
place. The  maid  came  in  and  with  the  candle-snuffer, 
began  to  extinguish  the  many  lights. 


COLONEL  BURR  TURNS  MUSICIAN     187 

"No.  Leave  these  few.  I'll  read  awhile,"  said  Dolly 
as  Clotilde  approached  the  table, — "  'till  the  music 
stops." 

Clotilde  placed  the  banjo  upright  in  the  corner,  set 
right  the  anti-macassors  and  closed  the  spinnet. 

"  'Tis  gay  to-night,  over  there,"  she  said  to  her  mis- 
tress, "at  ze  ball.  Ah!  It  must  be  lovely  to  be  at  ze 
ball!" 

"Very,"  said  Dolly  briefly  and  she  opened  her  book. 

"Madam,"  said  Clotilde. 

"Yes." 

"Now  that  ze  Congress  go  away  there  will  be  rooms 
free  for  new  lodgers.  Colonel  Burr's  room,  ze  second 
floor  front " 

"No,  no,"  cried  Dolly  promptly  interrupting  her, 
"on  no  account!  If  any  person  should  apply  you  may 
say  that  Mrs.  Todd  no  longer  takes  boarders." 


CHAPTER  XII 

MRS.  TODD  HAS  A  LADY  CALLER  AND  MUTUAL  CON* 

FIDENCES  ARE  EXCHANGED  IN  "THE  SECOND 

FLOOR  FRONT" 


You  and  I  must  pull  a  crow ! 

—BUTLER— "Hudibras." 


Could   I   come   near  your   beauty  with   my  nails, 
I'd  set  the  Ten  Commandments  on  your  face. 

— SHAKESPEARE — "King  Henry   VI" 


Oh !  would  I  were  dead  now, 
Or  up  in  my  bed  now, 
To  cover  my  head  now, 

And  have  a  good  cry! 

— HOOD— "A  Tale  of  Errata." 

BUT  who  could  read  on  such  a  night?  Certainly 
not  Dolly.  "Clarissa  Harlowe"  the  novel 
which  she  handled  listlessly  still  held  its  charm 
for  her — in  fact  she  had  only  that  day  borrowed  the 
book  from  Sally  McKean.  But  to-night  life  was  too 
full  of  reality — of  romance  and  tears,  glamor  and 
waltz-music — for  any  woman  of  Dolly  Todd's  temper- 
ament to  sit  down  and  solace  herself  with  the  pages 
of  a  novel.  So,  by  degrees,  half  unconsciously, 
"Clarissa  Harlowe"  slipped  to  the  floor,  and  equally 
unconsciously,  Dolly  laid  vigorous  hold  of  the  poker 

188 


MRS.  TODD  HAS  A  LADY  CALLER     189 

in  the  novel's  stead.  She  was  not  fully  aware  of  what 
she  did:  but  once  the  poker  was  within  her  grasp  she 
gave  full  play  to  a  habit  of  hers  which  in  times  of 
stress  or  unusual  excitement  she  had  exercised  since  her 
childhood.  Dolly  Todd  began  to  talk  to  herself. 

"Just  for  five  minutes!"  exclaimed  Dolly  as  she 
shook  the  poker  ominously  to  and  fro.  "If  I  only  had 
her  here — face  to  face — man  to  man!  No,  I  don't 
mean  that!"  she  interrupted  herself.  "That's  what 
Burr's  always  saying.  Woman  to  woman  I  mean.  I'd 
show  her!  I'd  teach  her!  I'd " 

The  drawing  room  door  opened  and  Clotilde  entered 
without  knocking. 

"Oh,  Madam!"  she  exclaimed.  "Eet  has  just  come, 
this  note.  O,  Madam,  pray  excuse  me,  but  I'm  so 
excite.  I " 

"Hold  your  tongue,  Clotilde!"  said  Dolly  snatching 
the  note  off  the  salver.  "I  told  thee  to  say  there  were 
no  rooms  to  rent.  That  I  no  longer  kept  board- 
ers  " 

"Bien  oui,  Madam.  But  eef  you  had  seen  the  woman 
who  had  brought  this  note.  It  has  put  me  all  aflutter. 
I  am  so  surprised:  so  amazed! " 

But  Dolly  was  not  listening.  The  note  which  Clo- 
tilde had  handed  to  her  was  addressed  in  a  woman's 
handwriting  on  scented  note  paper.  Dolly  sniffed  at 
it  suspiciously.  Then  tore  it  open.  After  that  Clo- 
tilde might  as  well  have  talked  or  explained  to  the 
high  winds  of  heaven.  Her  mistress  was  thoroughly 
engrossed. 

The  note  ran: 

"Having  heard  by  chance  of  Mrs.  Todd's  marvel- 


190       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

ous  powers  of  divination  and  her  wonderful  gift  of 
reading  the  future  in  the  palm  of  the  hand,  a  woman, 
a  stranger  to  Mrs.  Todd,  and  who  is  leaving  Phila- 
delphia early  in  the  morning  so  far  presumes  upon 
Mrs.  Todd's  good  nature  as  to  ask — nay,  to  beg  of 
her, — that  she  will  grant  to  this  woman  who  is  in  great 
mental  stress  and  sore  perturbation  of  mind  an  in- 
terview to-night.  The  supplient  can  only  hope  that 
this  request  may  be  taken  in  the  spirit  in  which  it  is 
made.  It  is  the  plea  of  a  woman  who  is  suffering  to 
a  woman  who  has  suffered.  Should  Mrs.  Todd  find  it 
in  the  goodness  of  her  heart  to  grant  this  interview  the 
supplient  promises,  to  save  embarrassment  to  both 
Mrs.  Todd  and  herself,  to  remain  veiled  and  incognito 
throughout  the  meeting — unless  at  any  time  Mrs.  Todd 
should  denote  her  desire  to  meet  the  stranger  face  to 
face.  In  any  case — and  no  matter  what  the  reading 
of  the  hand  may  result  in — if  Mrs.  Todd  should  deign 
to  grant  this  interview  the  writer  will  remain  her  grate- 
ful debtor  for  life.  In  case  Mrs.  Todd  should  find  it 
in  her  heart  to  comply  a  word  of  assent  to  the  mes- 
senger who  bears  this  note,  will  bring  the  grateful 
supplient  to  Mrs.  Todd's  residence  in  ten  minutes' 
time." 

There  was  no  signature.  Dolly  read  the  note 
through  twice  before  she  raised  her  head. 

"Pinckney's  work!"  she  exclaimed  triumphantly  to 
herself.  "The  mouse  has  nibbled  at  the  very  first  bit 
of  cheese !"  Then  rather  sternly  she  asked  of  Clotilde, 
"Who  brought  this  note?" 

"That  ees  just  eet,  Madam;  that  is  what  I  want  to 
tell  you;  that  is  what  make  me  so  excite!  She  had  a 


MRS.  TODD  HAS  A  LADY  CALLER     191 

veil  on  and  a  great  beeg  cloak,  but  for  all  zat  she  was 
my  sistair,  Madam,  I  know  the  people  of  my  family! 
Therefore  although  she  does  not  speak — I  know  Ma- 
rie! Eet  was  Marie,  Madam:  Before  God!  'er  face 
was  'idden,  Madam :  but  those  feet !  They  'ave  been  in 
our  family  for  years!" 

"Be  quiet,  Clotilde!  I  want  no  explanations — nor 
family  foot  notes!"  exclaimed  Dolly,  laughing  in  spite 
of  herself. 

She  fully  realized  that  the  moment  of  her  heart's 
desire  was  approaching  and  she  could  afford  to  be 
lenient  even  with  Clotilde. 

"Tell  the  messenger,  whoever  she  is,  that  Mrs.  Todd 
presents  her  compliments  and  will  be  charmed  to  re- 
ceive her  visitor  as  soon  as  convenient." 

"When  you  have  given  the  message,  Clotilde,"  she 
added  authoratively,  "light  all  the  candles  in  the  second 
floor  front.  Then  go  to  bed.  I  don't  want  to  see  or 
hear  of  you  again  till  breakfast  time.  You  under- 
stand!" 

"Bien  oui,  Madam,"  said  Clotilde,  and  quite  reluct- 
antly to  herself,  withdrew. 

Dolly's  first  instinct  was  to  fly  to  her  mirror,  her 
second  to  apply  to  her  cheeks  just  the  least  little  addi- 
tional smudge  of  rouge. 

"Dear  old  Beau  Pinckney!"  she  exclaimed.  "He's 
a  friend  worth  having.  He  assuredly  lost  no  time. 
And  now  that  she's  coming,  what  am  I  to  say  to  her? 
It's  a  waiting  game  I  shall  have  to  play.  As  the  play 
actresses  say,  'I  must  dissemble!'  But  before  she 
leaves  this  roof,"  and  Dolly,  back  in  her  arm  chair  by 
now  again,  grasped  her  old  friend  the  poker  as  though 


i92       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

to  seek  endorsement,  "She'll  have  heard  the  truth  for 
once  in  her  life — the  hussy!  I'll  teach  her  what  it 
means  to  try  and  make  a  catspaw  of  a  friend  of  mine! 
'Tis  an  occasion  that  calls  for  the  reinforcement  of 
every  drop  of  Irish  blood  that  flows  in  thy  veins,  Dolly 
Todd.  For  half  an  hour  forget  you're  half  a  Quaker ! 
Treat  the  hussy  as  though  you  were  Irish  all  the  way 
through!" 

She  threw  the  poker  down,  cast  one  fleeting  glance 
in  the  mantle-piece  mirror  and  then  straightened  her- 
self for  action.  Already  there  had  been  a  knock  and 
Clotilde's  voice,  quick  to  rise  to  any  state  occasion 
could  be  heard  jabbering  at  the  front  door. 

"If  you  will  tell  me  where  I  will  find  Mrs.  Todd,  I 
will  go  to  her  unannounced,"  said  a  clear  high  voice 
with  just  the  least  trace  of  a  foreign  accent. 

A  moment  later  a  tall  figure  closely  veiled  in  yards 
and  yards  of  black  chiffon  entered  the  room  and  closed 
the  door  behind  her.  She  was  enveloped  in  a  long 
sable  coat,  she  wore  the  hoop  skirt  of  the  period,  and 
from  the  mesh  of  veiling  which  almost  concealed  her 
great  mass  of  reddish-gold  hair,  two  jewelled  hair 
pins  glistened  like  stars. 

"She  was  bored  at  the  ball,  so  she's  come  to  me  for 
diversion,"  said  Dolly  to  herself,  as  she  advanced  to 
greet  her.  "Well,  I'll  do  my  best  to  prove  interest- 
ing!" 

But  aloud  in  her  most  cordial  way  she  exclaimed, 
"Madam,  I  am  most  honored  to  meet  thee !" 

However,  the  stranger  was  not  to  be  offset  with  so 
formal  a  greeting.  First  she  courtesied  low — and  even 
hating  her  as  she  did,  Dolly  had  to  concede  the  marvel- 


MRS.  TODD  HAS  A  LADY  CALLER     193 

ous  distinction  of  the  woman, — then,  as  Dolly  graciously 
extended  her  hand,  the  stranger  seized  it  in  both  of  hers 
and  raising  it  to  her  lips,  kissed  it.  If  it  had  been  the 
hand  of  the  Pope  and  she  a  devout  Catholic  the  strang- 
er could  not  have  performed  the  ceremony  with  greater 
discretion  nor  more  inate  grace.  The  charm  of  the 
action  completely  disarmed  Dolly  for  the  moment: 
and,  though  she  never  would  have  admitted  it,  it  flat- 
tered her  too. 

"At  least,"  she  conceded,  "the  hussy's  got  good  man- 
ners!" 

"Remember  Mrs.  Todd,"  said  the  veiled  woman, 
"whether  your  reading  of  my  hand  brings  me  bad  news 
or  fair;  whether  by  your  clairvoyance  you  raise  my 
hopes  or  dash  them  to  the  ground,  I  shall  remember 
always  the  debt  I  owe  you  for  this  audience  to-night. 
You  see  before  you  a  woman  in  sore  perplexity,  in 
deep  distress.  There  are  a  hundred  questions  that  I 
would  put  to  you  when  once  you  have  read  my  hand: 
but  until  then  I  will  say  no  more — I  am  entirely  at 
your  service.  We  are  quite  alone  here  I  suppose?" 
She  glanced  about  the  room  a  little  apprehensively. 
"There  is  no  danger,  of  course,  of  our  being  inter- 
rupted?" 

"I'm  not  so  sure  of  that,"  said  Dolly,  "my  guests 
are  likely  to  remain  late  at  the  ball.  But  there's  no 
telling!  Perhaps  'twould  be  wiser  if  we  went  up- 
stairs. Fortunately  I  have  a  room  there  which  has  just 
been  vacated — my  second  floor  front." 

As  Dolly  spoke  the  last  words,  the  woman  gave  a 
little  start.  Dolly  noticed  it  and  smiled  inwardly. 
"It's  quite  a  bit  of  luck,"  she  explained.  "The  gen- 


i94       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

tleman  who  occupied  it  had  to  leave  for  New  York 
scarce  half  an  hour  ago.  His  hurry  was  so  great  he 
did  not  even  stop  to  pack  his  clothes,  so  if  you  find  his 
room  a  trifle  disarranged  I  pray  thee  to  excuse  it. 
'Twill  answer  our  purpose  I  feel  sure  and  provide  us 
with  that  privacy  which  we  both  desire.  This  way 
Madam!" 

She  led  the  way  upstairs  and  into  the  second  floor 
front,  the  door  of  which  stood  open. 

It  was  a  large  room  but  almost  bare  of  furniture — 
the  room  unquestionably  of  a  soldier  and  of  a  man  of 
simple  habit.  There  was  a  military  air  to  it  which 
there  was  no  gainsaying.  In  one  corner  of  the  room 
stood  a  small  iron  cot  with  a  single  pillow;  across  it's 
foot  lay  a  military  blanket  folded  in  army  fashion. 
There  was  a  bureau,  a  long  table  covered  with  writing 
materials,  a  chest  of  drawers  and  on  the  wall  close  to 
the  bed  there  hung  two  pictures,  handsomely  but  very 
simply  framed.  One  was  a  water  color  of  Madam 
Prevost  in  the  days  when  Aaron  Burr  was  still  her 
suitor;  the  other  painting,  of  a  much  later  date,  of 
course,  was  a  picture  of  their  daughter,  Theodosia,  as 
a  very  young  girl.  Attached  to  the  bottom  of  this 
picture — evidently  pinned  there  by  its  owner  temporar- 
ily, until  he  could  obtain  a  frame  which  was  worthy  of 
it, — was  a  sketch,  in  pen  and  ink  of  a  boy  of  three.  In 
one  corner  of  this  sketch  was  scrawled  his  initials, 
"A.  B."  and  underneath  it  in  pencil  had  been  written, 
"This  is  Grampillo  as  his  'Grampa'  remembers  him." 
A  couple  of  easy  chairs  and  a  military  chest  which  might 
have  contained  anything  explosive  from  a  gross  of 


MRS.  TODD  HAS  A  LADY  CALLER     195 

horse  pistols  to  a  very  small  cannon,  completed  the 
rooms  accoutrements. 

That  the  stranger  took  in  every  detail  of  the  room 
with  a  single  glance  was  entirely  apparent  to  Dolly. 
Lighted  candles  in  many  sconces  gave  the  room  a 
cheery  aspect  in  spite  of  its  bareness;  and  there  was 
a  sea  coal  fire  burning  on  the  hearth.  As  Dolly  fol- 
lowed her  guest  into  the  room  she  drew  the  door  to 
quickly  and  quite  noiselessly  turned  the  key  in  the 
lock. 

"Now,  Madam,  I  am  at  thy  service,"  said  Dolly  in 
a  courteous,  yet  distinctly  businesslike  tone. 

Clearing  a  space  on  the  writing  table,  she  drew  for- 
ward two  straight  backed  chairs  and  motioned  to  her 
guest  to  sit  down.  But  her  guest  had  no  intention  of 
doing  anything  of  the  sort,  for  the  moment.  With  a 
swift  sweep  of  one  arm  she  threw  aside  her  sable  cloak 
and  tossed  it  across  the  foot  of  Burr's  cot.  Then  with 
an  equally  quick  movement,  she  unwound  the  veil  from 
about  her  head  and  threw  it  from  her. 

"Mrs.  Todd  will  you  ever  forgive  me  for  this  ruse?" 
she  cried,  "I  am  Madam  Jumel.  Stop !  Please  let  me 
explain" — and  she  raised  her  hand  to  beg  for  silence 
as  Dolly,  speechless  with  amazement  at  this  sudden 
change  of  front,  vainly  strove  to  speak. 

"Let  me  tell  you  the  truth;  then  we  can  under- 
stand each  other  better — for  understand  each  other, 
we  must!  I  came  here  in  all  seriousness  to  have 
you  read  my  hand.  In  a  way  I  am  a  superstitious 
woman  but  that  was  not  my  real  reason  for  coming 
here  to-night.  I  wanted  to  meet  you.  I  wanted  to 
know  you.  But  of  that  I  will  speak  further,  pres- 


196       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

ently.  Something  you  said  just  now  has  changed  all 
my  plans.  It  has  frightened  the  very  soul  of  me. 
Before  I  offer  any  further  explanation  or  apology,  tell 
me  this  Madam,  and  remember  I  have  the  right  to 
know.  You  spoke  of  a  lodger  of  yours  having  left 
hastily  for  New  York  to-night.  I  infer  that  you  meant 
Mr.  Burr.  Am  I  right?" 

"By  what  right,  Madam,  do  you  ask  me  that  ques- 
tion? You  say  that  you  have  a  right,"  cried  Dolly 
now  rallying  from  her  astonishment  for  the  first  time. 

"The  right  I  claim  is  the  right  of  any  woman  to 
save  the  man  she  loves  from  death,"  said  Madam 
Jumel  with  calmness. 

"What!"  exclaimed  Dolly,  "You  come  here  to  my 
house  and  proclaim  that  you  love  Colonel  Burr  as  much 
as  all  that.  Really,  Madam,  your  enthusiasm " 

"Stop!  Don't  dare  to  misunderstand  me,  Mrs. 
Todd.  This  is  no  time  for  you  and  I  to  bandy  words  or 
quibble  at  cross-purposes.  Besides  remember  it  be- 
hooves us  both  to  keep  our  heads.  Big  things  are  afoot 
and  we — both  you  and  I,  whether  we  will  or  not — are 
much  concerned  in  them.  As  for  my  loving  Burr; 
that's  all  nonsense  and  you  know  it.  Burr  and  I,  my 
dear  woman,  kissed  and  parted  before  I  was  nineteen. 
I  was  ousted  once  and  for  all  from  his  vagrant  affec- 
tions by  the  beautiful  Miss  Moncrieffe.  But  I  was  a  bride 
for  the  first  time  just  then  and  took  nothing  very  seri- 
ously I  fear.  Life  held  so  much  for  the  poor  flower  girl 
of  Providence  that  from  the  hour  she  became  Mrs. 
Croix  nothing  else  really  mattered.  But  at  least  Mrs. 
Todd,  let's  be  true  to  scandal  even  if  we  both  dodge 
facts.  From  what  little  you  know  of  me  either  for 


MRS.  TODD  HAS  A  LADY  CALLER     197 

good  or  evil,  I  had  thought  that  you  would  have  given 
me  credit  for  the  one  great  love  of  my  life.  You  know 
whom  I  love:  you  know  full  well!  If  you  don't  I  will 
tell  you,  for  Madam  I  assure  you  it  is  one  of  the  few 
scandals  brought  against  my  name  which  I  never  have 
denied.  The  man  I  love — the  man  whom  I  intend  to 
save  from  Burr's  bullet  at  any  cost,  is  Alexander  Ham- 
ilton— and  you  know  it,  Mrs.  Todd!" 

She  rose  and  stood  confronting  Dolly;  each  looked 
the  other  fairly  in  the  eyes  and  Dolly  for  her  part 
could  read  nothing  but  the  truth  there. 

"Answer  me  this,  and  then  I  shall  have  much  to  tell 
you,"  said  Madam  Jumel.  "Why  did  Burr  leave  in 
such  a  hurry  for  New  York  to-night?  For  weeks  and 
weeks,  alone,  single  handed  I  have  striven  to  keep 
these  men  apart.  Often,  knowing  your  influence  with 
Burr  I  was  on  the  point  of  coming  to  you  to  enlist  your 
aid.  But  I  was  afraid  you  would  misunderstand  me — 
as  you  have  now.  Burr  gave  me  his  word  only  this 
morning  that  he  would  wait  and  start  for  New  York 
with  me  to-morrow;  there  was  to  be  a  conference  when 
we  reached  there  and  friends  of  both  men  had  agreed 
to  bring  about  an  amicable  adjustment.  I  closed  my 
house,  I  moved  to  the  Inn  for  the  night — expecting  to 
leave  with  all  my  household  at  dawn.  Why  has  he 
left  without  a  word?  Why  has  he  gone  Mrs.  Todd?" 

The  woman  was  beside  herself  with  nervousness. 
She  sank  into  a  chair.  Her  lovely  face  was  as  pale 
as  death  and  her  jewelled  fingers  shook. 

"Mark  you!'  she  cried  vehemently,  "If  this  flight  of 
his  means  that  he  has  gone  to  kill  Hamilton,  then  if 


198       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

he  fulfills  his  purpose,  I  will  kill  him  with  my  own 
hand." 

"He  won't  kill  Hamilton,  have  no  fear!"  cried 
Dolly,  touched  to  the  heart  by  the  woman's  fright. 
"Let  me  tell  thee  something.  It  may  comfort  thee.  I 
have  Burr's  word  of  honor  that,  though  they  meet, 
Hamilton  shall  go  scot  free." 

Madam  Jumel  leaned  forward  eagerly. 

"Burr  told  you  that?" 

"He  gave  me  his  word,"  declared  Dolly,  "scarce 
two  hours  ago." 

"And  you,  in  return?  What  did  you  promise  him?" 
queried  the  French  woman  knowingly.  "But  I  beg 
your  pardon,  that's  none  of  my  affair.  Still  I  can  guess. 
In  any  case" — and  she  seized  Dolly's  hand  passion- 
ately— "I  thank  you  from  the  bottom  of  my  soul." 

"There  is  nothing  to  thank  me  for,"  said  Dolly. 

"Ah,  yes  there  is!"  protested  Madam  Jumel.  "Our 
motives  are  different,  but  we  are  working  to  the  same 
end.  I  am  trying  to  curb  Burr  to  save  Hamilton. 
You  are  trying  to  curb  Burr  to  save  him  from 
himself.  In  history,  of  course,  we'll  both  of  us  be  up 
to  our  eyes  in  this  scandal  if  it  ever  comes  off — and,  as 
always  happens,  the  world  will  never  hear  the  truth 
of  it.  But  after  all,  what  matter!  You  and  I  from 
this  moment  my  dear,  understand  each  other  for  all 
time.  And  that  is  a  good  deal  for  one  woman  to  say 
to  another  in  these  days.  But  I  mean  it!" 

Betty  Jumel  leaned  forward  and  kissed  Dolly  on  the 
cheek.  Then  like  a  couple  of  good  sportsmen  they 
shook  hands.  After  that  each  of  them  made  a  dab  at 
their  eyes  with  their  kerchiefs  and  then  began  to  laugh. 


MRS.  TODD  HAS  A  LADY  CALLER     199 

"What  fools  we  are!"  exclaimed  Betty  Jumel,  "to 
be  sitting  here  worrying  our  hearts  out  and  ruining 
our  eyes  about  two  men  both  vastly  able  to  take  care 
of  themselves!  And  now  while  I  think  of  it,"  she 
added,  growing  confidential  once  more,  "since  you've 
accused  me  so  outspokenly  of  loving  Burr  I  must  tell 
you  a  delicious  joke  on  the  man.  He's  worried  to  death 
about  it,  'pon  honor!  Burr,  though  one  would  not 
think  it,  is  prodigiously  superstitious.  The  other  day 
in  the  course  of  his  wanderings  in  the  country  some- 
where he  ran  across  an  old  gypsy  hag.  She  told  him 
his  fortune:  it  upset  him  exceedingly.  Then  he  came 
to  my  house  and  told  it  to  me.  Such  a  joke!  And 
what  do  you  think  she  said,  my  dear?  She  told  him 
that  when  he  was  in  his  eightieth  year  he  would  marry 
a  woman  whom  she  described  most  particularly.  And 
he  declared  that  the  description  fits  me  to  a  T.  The 
cheek  of  the  man  and  at  that  age  too!" 

"I  should  like  to  consult  that  old  hag  myself," 
laughed  Dolly,  "I  wonder  what  she  would  have  to  say 
of  my  future." 

"Oh,  something  equally  ridiculous  you  may  be  sure 
my  dear,"  said  Betty.  "But  of  course  it  would  be  just 
like  Burr  to  spoil  all  my  plans  for  to-night  by  his  sud- 
den flight.  You  have  no  idea  what  a  denouement  I  had 
arranged  for  our  first  meeting.  Believe  me  I  am 
speaking  truth  when  I  say  I  have  been  longing  to  know 
you  for  ages.  I  hate  women  as  a  rule  and  they  loathe 
me  almost  invariably — though  nowadays  since  I  mar- 
ried Monsieur  Jumel  most  of  them  are  afraid  to  show 
it.  But  you  were  different — quite,  quite  different! 
Your  merry  face  and  your  laughing  eyes  used  to  fas- 


200       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

cinate  me  when  I  sometimes  saw  you  at  market.  There 
was  a  saucy  way  about  you  which  showed  me  at  a 
single  glance  just  why  all  the  men  were  so  easily  en- 
slaved. For  months  and  months  I  kept  saying  to  my- 
self, 'I  really  must  meet  Mrs.  Todd.'  First  I  tried 
Burr,  but  he  was  adamant,  a  sheer  stone  wall!  You 
know  how  loath  Burr  is  to  bring  his  women  friends  to- 
gether— keeps  them  as  far  apart  as  though  he  feared 
each  of  them  had  a  catching  fever  which  they  might 
exchange,  whereas  the  very  worse  that  the  poor  dears 
would  think  of  doing  would  be  to  compare  notes!  So 
when  Burr  wouldn't  introduce  us  and  led  me  to  infer 
that  you  detested  the  ground  I  walked  on  I  decided  to 
go  to  an  extreme  in  order  to  destroy  that  elusion  of 
yours.  Finally  as  a  last  resort,  I  called  in  dear  old 
Beau  Pinckney !  Such  a  nice  boy  Pinckney !  Don't  you 
think  so?  And  such  good  manners  too!  Well  even 
Pinckney  hemmed  and  hawed  and  pawed  the  air  and 
seemed  to  arrive  nowhere  at  all  in  bringing  our  meet- 
ing to  pass.  So  to-night  at  the  ball  when  he  happened 
by  accident  to  speak  of  your  occult  powers  I  suddenly 
decided  to  take  the  matter  into  my  own  hands.  I  wrote 
you  that  note,  knowing  your  kind  heart  could  never  say 
the  writer  nay — and  well,  here  we  are,  chatting  away 
for  dear  life  like  two  old  friends  as  happy  as  grigs! — 
or  at  least,  I  am,  my  dear.  You  may  be  bored  to 
death  but  you  certainly  don't  look  it." 

"Never  enjoyed  an  evening  more!"  cried  Dolly  with 
fervor,  "But  aren't  you  hungry?  I  never  went  to  a 
ball  in  my  life  from  which  I  didn't  come  home  half 
starved." 

"To  tell  you  the  truth,  I've  been  praying  that  you'd 


MRS.  TODD  HAS  A  LADY  CALLER     201 

ask  me  that  question  for  the  last  quarter  of  an  hour," 
laughed  Betty.  "I'm  not  hungry,  my  dear:  I'm  fam- 
ished. We  were  packing  all  day  so  I  had  no  dinner." 

"Clotilde's  gone  to  bed,"  said  Dolly,  "But  I  know 
where  there's  a  chicken  and,  considering  all  the  worry 
he's  caused  us  to-night,  I  think  we  should  be  justified 
in  appropriating  one  of  Ronnie  Burr's  bottles  of  Ma- 
deira. He's  such  an  abstainer:  'tis  lost  on  him  any- 
way!" 

She  hurried  away  to  fetch  the  supper  and  in  her 
absence  her  guest  made  quite  a  remarkable  change  in 
her  appearance. 

"I  could  not  stand  that  damnable  thing  another  mo- 
ment," she  exclaimed  as  Dolly  returned  laden  with 
good  fare.  As  she  spoke  she  pointed  to  the  door  of 
Burr's  open  cupboard  on  one  of  the  hooks  of  which 
was  now  suspended  her  hoop  skirt.  "At  home  like 
you,  I  never  wear  'em.  They're  an  abomination  to  my 
mind  and  if  ever  you  get  to  the  White  House,  Mrs. 
Todd  I  hope  that  you'll  put  your  foot  down  hard  on 
'em  at  once.  They  ruin  a  woman's  figure:  and  make 
her  look  much  more  like  a  fool  than  Nature  intended. 
So  let  'Down  with  the  crinolines !'  be  your  war  cry." 

"Mr.  Jefferson  will  endorse  that,"  laughed  Dolly. 
"He  loathes  all  these  imported  fashions,  and  swears 
he's  going  to  abolish  them  all.  As  long  as  he  leaves  me 
my  rouge,  I  won't  quarrel  with  him.  But  I'm  so  glad 
you  made  yourself  comfortable.  You'd  better  let  me 
lend  you  a  dressing  gown  for  you  will  have  to  stay  the 
night.  It's  snowing  hard  outside;  you'd  be  lost  in  the 
drifts  between  here  and  the  tavern.  To  say  nothing 
to  what  would  befall  that  ravishing  frock!" 


202       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"What!  Sleep  here  in  Burr's  room  without  him!" 
exclaimed  Madam  Jumel.  "Why  'twould  be  playing 
Hamlet  minus  the  Dane !  You  are  thrusting  an  honor 
upon  me  unto  which  I  was  not  born.  Still  it's  a  snowy 
night.  I've  half  a  mind  to  take  you  at  your  word.  In 
fact,  to  speak  truth,  you  couldn't  get  rid  of  me  now. 
I'm  just  beginning  to  feel  talkative !  Do  you  mind  if  I 
undo  my  hair?" 

As  she  spoke  she  pulled  the  jewelled  hairpins  out 
and  tossed  them  on  the  table.  Her  hair  fell  about  her 
like  a  glory  in  a  reddish  golden  shower.  It  reached  to 
her  knees  and  the  beauty  of  it  made  Dolly  exclaim  in 
admiration. 

"Yes;  I  always  did  have  pretty  hair '."Betty  exclaimed 
casually.  "It  was  one  of  the  few  bequests  my  dear 
mother  left  me.  That  and  the  papers  which  proclaimed 
my  birth  were  almost  all  she  had  to  leave,  poor  soul ! 
She  died  when  I  was  born,  you  know — in  a  fearful 
storm  at  sea.  My  mother's  name  was  Capet,  Eliza 
Capet,  and  she  was  a  passenger  on  a  French  frigate 
which  sailed  from  Brent  for  the  island  of  St.  Croix. 
Hamilton's  island  oddly  enough !  He  had  been  born  on 
Nevis  to  be  sure;  but  at  the  time  of  my  birth  he  was  a 
lad,  a  clerk  in  his  uncle's  shop  at  St.  Croix.  And  here," 
she  explained,  "is  another  link  in  that  strange  chain 
which  in  so  many  ways  has  tethered  our  lives.  That 
awful  storm  in  which  I  was  born  was  in  truth  the  worst 
tornado  which  St.  Croix  had  known  in  many  years. 
That  storm  which  saw  my  birth  laid  the  foundation  of 
Hamilton's  career.  A  lad  of  fourteen  this  tornado 
had  impressed  him  enormously.  He  wrote  a  descrip- 
tion of  its  horrors  which  was  subsequently  published  in 


MRS.  TODD  HAS  A  LADY  CALLER     203 

a  St.  Christopher  newspaper.  The  Governor  of  the 
island  was  so  impressed  with  it  that  he  offered  to  send 
the  lad  to  college  and  in  due  course  young  Hamilton 
was  sent  to  New  York  to  attend  King's  College.  As 
for  poor  little  me,  the  orphaned  waif — after  laying 
up  his  ship  at  St.  Croix  for  repairs  the  Captain  of  the 
frigate  brought  me  to  America.  He  lived  in  a  little 
cottage  half  way  between  Providence  and  Newport. 
But  as  soon  as  I  was  old  enough  to  walk  he  put 
me  to  board  with  an  old  lady,  a  Mrs.  Thompson, 
at  Providence.  She  was  very  poor  but  a  gentle- 
woman, remarkably  well  educated  for  her  station. 
She  taught  me  French  and  sent  me  to  the  school.  She 
and  the  captain  of  the  frigate  were  the  only  ones  who 
knew  my  story.  When  I  was  old  enough  she  told  me 
who  I  was.  I  was  about  fourteen  then  and  for  some 
time  before  that,  to  make  money,  I  had  been  selling 
flowers  down  on  the  docks  after  school  in  the  after- 
noons." 

Madam  Jumel  paused  for  a  moment,  sighed  and 
shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"You  can  imagine  the  rest!  Mrs.  Thompson  knew 
nothing.  She  thought  I  was  at  play  with  the  school 
girls.  But  from  the  moment  she  told  me  who  I  was 
I  had  one  definite  object  to  pursue.  My  one  purpose 
was  to  earn  money  enough  to  take  me  to  my  Father. 
That  he  would  acknowledge  me,  I,  knowing  what  I  did 
from  my  mother's  papers,  never  had  a  moment's 
doubt.  To  earn  that  money  I  sold  all  I  had — all! 
I  stopped  at  nothing!  But  France  was  farther  away 
in  those  days  than  it  is  now  when  a  packet  thinks  noth- 
ing of  making  the  passage  in  seven  weeks.  I  began 


204       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

to  despair  of  ever  earning  enough  money  for  my  fare. 
Then  one  lucky  day  I  met  Colonel  Croix.  It  was  on 
the  docks;  he  bought  some  of  my  violets  and  I  flirted 
with  him  shamelessly.  He  was  an  English  officer  well 
past  fifty  but  good  looking  still.  He  told  me  that  he 
was  taking  boat  that  night  down  the  Sound  for  New 
York  and  from  there  he  was  to  sail  for  home — for 
England.  England !  The  mere  thought  set  my  blood 
on  fire.  My  geography  had  told  me  England  lay  but 
twenty-four  miles  from  France!  The  man  was  cap- 
tivated with  me — and  I  knew  it.  Oh!  I  spare  you 
nothing,  you  see ;  I  was  a  very  wise  child !  He  begged 
me  to  go  with  him  as  his  compagnon  de  voyage.  But 
I  snapped  my  fingers  at  him.  I  laughed  in  his  kindly 
seered  old  face.  He  pleaded  with  me  but  I  would  not 
listen.  Finally  I  pointed  to  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  which  stood  on  the  corner  and  told  him  flat 
footed  that  if  he  wanted  to  take  Eliza  Bowen  Capet 
to  England,  he  would  have  to  take  me  to  the  priest  first 
and  make  me  Mrs.  Croix.  Well,  to  cut  a  long  story, 
he  succumbed.  We  were  married  that  very  hour. 
I  went  home,  secured  my  mother's  papers,  kissed  Mrs. 
Thompson,  said  I  wouldn't  be  home  for  supper  and 
slipped  on  board  the  sailing  ship.  On  reaching  New 
York  we  found  we  had  missed  the  English  packet. 
There  would  be  no  other  sailing  for  several  weeks. 
Croix  treated  me  like  a  princess.  He  showered  jewels 
and  pretty  frocks  upon  me.  We  lodged  at  the  best 
hotel  and  as  soon  as  my  new  outfit  had  been  secured, 
Colonel  Croix  took  me  to  his  old  friend  Lady  Sterling. 
She  was  the  most  powerful  personage  in  New  York 
at  that  day  and  she  took  me  to  her  heart  at  once. 


MRS.  TODD  HAS  A  LADY  CALLER     205 

Sounds  like  a  fairy  story,  does  it  not,   Mrs.  Todd? 
But  I'm  telling  you  truths.     Rumor  with  its  thousand 
tongues  has  never  told  the  truth  either  as  to  my  mar- 
riage or — if  you  choose  to  call  it  so ! — my  infamy. 
And  after  all, — again  like  Hamilton!     See  how  our 
lives  perpetually,  although  so  far  apart,  seem  to  inter- 
twine— I  was  a  love  child:  a  bastard:  I  had  my  way 
to  make.     Could  you  blame  me  for  wrenching  from 
the  world  a  living?    It  was  my  right,  my  due;  whether 
it  was  or  not,  I  took  it.     Less  than  a  week  from  the 
day  Betty  Capet  sold  her  last  violet  on  the  Providence 
docks  Mrs.  Croix,  a  woman  not  nineteen  as  yet,  was 
the  new  toast  of  New  York  Town.     They  flocked  to 
my  feet,  beaux  and  belles  alike,  for  my  sponsor,  Lady 
Sterling,  was  a  woman  of  great  position.     Dear  old 
Mr.  Benjamin  Franklin,  always  my  friend  since,  Pat- 
rick Henry,  Andrew  Jackson,  Gouverneur  Morris — 
all  those  men  who  two  or  three  years  later  at  my  Wall 
Street  home  were  to  make  that  famous  little  coterie 
which  set  all  the  dear  women  by  the  ears — all  of  these 
men  I  met  there  for  the  first  time.     Burr  was  there 
too,  of  course — such  an  Adonis  in  those  days,  my  dear! 
And,  as  I  said  before,  we  flirted  desperately  for  a  day 
or  two,  and  then  one  night  at  a  ball  at  Lady  Sterling's 
I  lost  eyes  for  everyone  else.    At  last  I  saw  the  great 
Hamilton.     We  were  not  introduced — in  fact  it  was 
years  later,  in  my  Wall  Street  home,   that  I  finally 
met  him:  he  told  me  then,  half  laughingly,  that  he 
had  avoided  me  scrupulously   for  years ! — But  that 
night  I  saw  him.    That  was  enough !     From  that  mo- 
ment, for  me,  he  was  The  One  Man!     He  looked 
scarcely  more  than  a  schoolboy  in  his  radiant  gaiety. 


206       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

It  makes  me  heart-sick  when  I  think  of  him  as  I  saw 
him  on  the  street  only  yesterday,  pale,  heavy-eyed 
and  sombre!  Then  he  was  the  very  embodiment  of 
gaiety  and  grace  and  youth.  Well,  in  six  weeks'  time 
my  husband  and  I  set  sail  for  England,  and  in  spite  of 
my  great  purpose,  from  which  I  had  never  verged,  it 
quite  broke  my  heart  to  go.  Shortly  after  we  reached 
London,  Colonel  Croix  died  suddenly.  As  soon  as 
possible  I  went  to  Paris.  There  with  the  aid  of  letters 
which  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette  had  given  me  in  New 
York,  I  soon  made  friends.  Eventually  I  achieved  my 
purpose.  I  met  my  Father.  His  kindness  to  me 
exceeded  my  wildest  dreams.  Before  I  left  his 
house  that  day  I  was  a  rich  woman  in  my  own  right. 
The  money  which  Colonel  Croix  had  left  me,  I  turned 
over  to  his  maiden  sisters.  I  had  never  used  a  penny 
of  it.  My  father  not  only  treated  me  as  a  daughter, 
but  as  a  confidante.  He  entrusted  me  with  a  mission 
for  him  which  it  was  necessary  for  me  to  return  to 
America  to  fulfil.  So  back  to  New  York  came  the 
now  famous  Mrs.  Croix!"  continued  Madam  Jumel. 

She  leaned  back  in  her  chair  and  began  to  comb  her 
hair  with  one  of  Dolly's  ivory  backed  brushes. 

"  She  was  a  widow  now,  so  the  women  liked  her 
even  less.  You  know  how  it  is,  Mrs.  Todd!  Then, 
too,  her  Parisian  success  had  preceded  her.  She  rented 
a  charming  little  house  on  Wall  Street  and  began  to 
entertain.  At  first  a  few  of  her  women  acquaintances 
came,  but  for  some  reason  they  soon  dropped  off — 
though," — added  Madam  Jumel  in  parenthesis, — "I 
was  always  exceedingly  nice  to  them  even  when  they 
most  bored  me.  But  the  men  came  in  droves!  So 


MRS.  TODD  HAS  A  LADY  CALLER     207 

it  really  didn't  matter.  That  made  the  women  more 
furious,  of  course.  They  couldn't  say  bad  enough 
things  about  poor  Mrs.  Croix.  They  raked  up  all  her 
flower  girl  indiscretions  and  served  them  up  piping  hot. 
Whatever  she  had,  or  had  not  done,  wasn't  shouted 
from  the  roof  tops,  it  was  bellowed  from  the  steeples. 
They  even  called  her  "The  Intervention  of  Provi- 
dence," as  that  old  harradan  Mistress  Sparkle  is  so 
fond  of  relating  to  this  day.  But  they  couldn't  crush 
Betty  Croix!  Then  one  night — it  was  dear  old  Mr. 
Franklin  who  brought  him,  God  bless  his  heart! — the 
Great  Hamilton  came  to  call  on  Mrs.  Croix.  After 
that  for  six  short,  glorious,  happy  months,  nothing 
else  mattered  in  the  world!" 


CHAPTER  XIII 
MADAM  JUMEL  PLAYS  TRUMPS  AND  WINS  A  FRIEND 

Owning  her  weakness, 

Her  evil  behavior, 
And  leaving,  with  meakness, 

Her  sins  to  her  Saviour. 

— HOOD — "The  Bridge  of  Sighs." 


When  Psyche's  friend  becomes  her  lover, 
How  sweetly  these  conditions  blend ! 
But  oh !  what  anguish  to  discover 
Her  lover  has  become — her  friend! 

— MARY  AINGE  DEVERE. 

ERE  you  ever  really  in  love?"  asked 
Madam  Jumel,  breaking  in  on  her 
narrative  somewhat  abruptly. 
Dolly  smiled  reminiscently.  "That's  just  what  I 
asked  Sally  McKean  t'other  day,"  she  answered. 
"She  told  me  she  'guessed'  she  had  been!  Well,  since 
you  ask  me  so  flat-footedly,  I  'guess'  I  have  been  too. 
At  all  events,  I've  been  married." 

"So  have  I,"  echoed  Madam  Jumel,  "twice, — but 
that's  got  nothing  to  do  with  it!  The  reason  I  asked 
you  is  because  I  am  wondering  if,  clever  as  you  are 
and  warm  as  I  know  your  heart  to  be,  you  can  really 
appreciate  the  depth  of  my  love  for  Hamilton." 

"Oh,  yes,  I  think  I  can,"  said  Dolly.  "I've  been 
loved  like  that  once  or  twice  myself." 

208 


MADAM  JUMEL  PLAYS  TRUMPS     209 

"Ah!  But  that  was  man's  love.  A  woman's  is  so 
different  when  she  really  worships;  and  I  worshipped 
Hamilton.  I  was  a  fool,  but  I  did!  Well,  as  I  said, 
for  six  months  our  liason  ran  as  smoothly  as  the 
summer  sea.  Not  a  ripple  to  disturb  the  peace  of  it. 
Ours  was  a  mental  union,  far  more  than  a  physical 
one." 

"I  can  realize  that.  That's  what  Colonel  Burr 
always  says:  'All  that  is  physical  passes:  only  mental 
love  remains.'  ' 

"Well,  coming  from  Burr  I  should  take  that  sen- 
timent with  a  grain  of  salt!"  returned  Madam  Jumel, 
rather  tartly.  "At  the  same  time,  he  speaks  truth. 
As  a  matter  of  fact, — to  be  just  to  Burr! —  I  never 
knew  him  to  lie.  But  to  return  to  Hamilton — men- 
tally, and  also  in  a  political  sense,  I  know  that  I  was 
of  the  utmost  use  to  him.  I'm  a  reader  of  character, 
a  student  of  men.  He  thinks  he  is  both;  but  he  is 
neither — his  geese  are  invariably  swans." 

"Yes,  I  have  noticed  that  too,"  said  Dolly.  "Both 
he  and  Burr  are  much  too  enthusiastic  about  their 
friends  and  too  rabid  against  their  enemies.  To  me, 
though,  there  is  always  this  distinction  between  them 
in  both  their  likes  and  dislikes.  Hamilton  is  only 
Royalist,  while  Burr's  patrician." 

"That  is  a  distinction  with  a  difference!"  replied 
Madam  Jumel. 

"Don't  thee  think  it's  getting  a  little  chilly?"  asked 
Dolly.  And  as  she  put  the  question  she  stepped  into 
Burr's  big  cupboard  and  emerged  bearing  a  long  black 
velvet  dressing-gown,  faced  and  cuffed  with  crimson 
silk.  She  held  it  while  Betty  slipped  her  lovely  arms 


210       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

inside  of  it.  Then,  picking  up  the  sable  cloak,  she 
wrapped  it  around  her  own  shoulders. 

"Speaking  of  patricians,"  she  laughed,  "I  envy  thee 
this  glorious  coat.  Sable  and  I  have  never  rubbed 
shoulders  before." 

Madam  Jumel  snugly  ensconced  in  Burr's  dressing- 
gown  sat  down.  "Ah,  here's  treasure  trove!"  she  ex- 
claimed as  she  pulled  from  out  of  its  pocket  two  black 
cheroots  and  several  West  Indian  paper  cigars.  "I'll 
dare  you  to  smoke  one  of  these  paper  cigars,  Quaker 
though  you  are."  She  handed  Dolly  one  of  those 
inventions  of  the  Devil,  known  in  these  latter  days  as  a 
cigarette. 

"No  thanks.  'Tis  not  virtue  but  nausea  makes  me 
decline !  But  let  me  light  thine  for  thee.  As  for  my 
being  a  Quaker,  Colonel  Burr  declares  I'm  only  an 
intermittent  one.  He's  always  accusing  me  of  for- 
saking my  'thee's'  and  'thou's'  at  a  moment's  notice. 
But  let's  get  back  to  Hamilton!" 

"Well,  there's  not  much  more  to  tell.  He  came 
to  me  one  fine  morning  and  in  his  suavest  and  most 
businesslike  tone  told  me  that  we  could  see  no  more 
of  each  other.  I  asked  him  why  and  he  answered, 
'My  wife  won't  have  it.  She's  put  her  foot  down. 
There's  an  end  on  it.' 

"After  all,  you  couldn't  blame  Betsy,  could  you?" 
exclaimed  Dolly,  rather  undiplomatically,  but  wishing 
to  be  staunch  to  an  old  friend. 

"Blame  her?  Certainly  not.  Why  should  I?  She 
was  perfectly  within  her  rights.  But  after  all,  you 
must  remember,  Mrs.  Todd,  this  affair  of  ours  was  no 
common  liason;  it  was  a  Grand  Passion!" 


MADAM  JUMEL  PLAYS  TRUMPS     211 

"Well,  after  all,  poor  Betsy's  always  of  an  illogical 
turn  of  mind,"  exclaimed  Dolly.  "Perhaps  she  didn't 
stop  to  note  the  difference." 

"Now,  you're  getting  catty!"  laughed  Madam  Ju- 
mel.  "But  since  I've  started,  hear  me  out." 

"Hear  thee  out?  Laws,  woman!  I'm  dying  for 
the  denouement!  What  did  thee  say  to  Hamilton?" 

"I  said  nothing,"  answered  Madam  Jumel.  "He 
had  an  uncommonly  pretty  ruffle  on  that  morning.  I 
straightened  it  for  him,  patted  him  on  the  cheek  and 
then  told  him  to  run  home  and  be  a  good  little  boy. 
He  was  furious — his  dignity  was  damaged — his  feel- 
ings hurt.  If  he  had  had  his  wish  I  would  have 
thrown  a  fit  of  hysterics  or  given  him  up  in  a  speech 
as  wordy  and  as  ponderous  as  his  own  'Washington's 
Farewell.'  But,  thank  God !  Betty  Jumel  knows  when 
to  rely  on  her  sense  of  humor !  From  that  day  to  this 
Hamilton  and  I  have  never  spoken — not  so  much  as 
a  'how-de-do !'  When  we  meet  in  public  I  bow  se- 
renely like  a  well-bred  Jacobite.  He  returns  my  salu- 
tation in  his  best  Tory  manner.  But  as  for  those 
Schuylers! — Whew!  my  dear,"  and  she  gave  a  whistle. 
"From  the  moment  the  break  came,  they  let  loose 
their  dogs  of  war  on  poor  Mrs.  Croix.  Betsy  Schuy- 
ler  has  loyal  kinsmen  and  they're  fighters  too — with 
their  tongues!  All  that  society  had  said  and  done  to 
Mrs.  Croix  before  was  as  the  rain-drop  before  the 
storm — the  trickle  before  the  Niagara !  And  still 
Mrs.  Croix  smiled  and  smiled  and  was  a  villain  still 
and  gave  charming  parties  to  which  all  the  men  came 
tumbling!  But  at  last  she  grew  tired.  The  persecution 
became  monotonous — it  bored  her  so  she  went  abroad 


212       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

once  more  and  after  a  year  in  her  Father's  court,  she 
returned  to  America  as  the  wife  of  that  gallant  old 
gentleman,  Monsieur  Jumel.  And  as  Madam  Jumel, 
oh,  what  a  change  had  come  over  your  countrymen, 
my  dear! — and  country-women  too  for  that  matter! 
But  you  know  all  that  story.  'Twas  Lady  Washington, 
herself,  who  championed  my  cause.  At  Sir  George's 
inauguration,  I  was  the  third  lady  to  bow  before  him. 
The  Livingstons,  who  had  always  been  friendly  to 
me — probably  because  they  hated  the  Schuylers  so 
violently ! — became  more  intimate  than  ever.  The  Clin- 
tons accepted  me,  and  even  over  here  in  dear  old 
prudish,  hide-bound,  sincere  Philadelphia  the  Chews, 
the  Cadwalladers,  the  McKeans,  and  even  dear  old 
Mistress  Sparkle  don't  hesitate  to  come  to  my  tea- 
fights  and  say  'How-de-do'.  What  more  could  the 
poor  little  Providence  flower-girl  ask,  even  if  she  does 
happen  to  be  the  daughter  of  an  Emperor?" 

"An  Emperor!"  cried  Dolly,  quite  forgetting  her 
manners  in  her  curiosity. 

"Yes.  I  said  an  Emperor."  And  Madam  Jumel 
raised  her  head  proudly.  "I  took  it  for  granted  that 
you  knew  my  story,  Mrs.  Todd.  I  am  the  child  of 
Napoleon  Bonaparte.  Within  a  year  all  Europe  will 
be  at  his  feet.  Italy  is  his  already — Spain  may  capitu-* 
late  to  him  at  any  moment.  Within  a  year, — mark 
my  words,  Madam!" — and  she  rose  to  her  feet,  look- 
ing for  all  the  world,  in  Burr's  velvet  dressing-gown, 
with  her  hair  astream,  like  some  prophetess  of  old. 
"His  star  is  in  the  ascendent  now  and  is  ever  rising. 
Within  a  year  my  father  will  have  been  proclaimed 
the  hereditary  Emperor  of  France.  Can  you  wonder, 


MADAM  JUMEL  PLAYS  TRUMPS     213 

Madam,  that,  bar-sinister  or  not,  I  am  proud  of  my 
birth?  Indeed,  I  glory  in  it!  As  Emperor  I  can  love 
my  sire  no  more  than  I  would  have  done  had  I  been 
with  him  in  the  days  when  he  was  the  'Little  Corporal'. 
My  love  for  him  is  akin  to  Hamilton's  great  love  for 
his  mother,  Rachel  Lavine.  Love-children,  both  of 
us — playthings  of  chance,  if  you  will! — there  has  al- 
ways been,  betwen  Hamilton  and  me  that  one  great 
bond  of  sympathy.  We  glory  in  our  illegitimacy." 

Dolly  was  still — what  was  there  that  any  listener 
could  reply  to  such  a  speech?  She  gazed  in  open-eyed 
admiration  at  Madam  Jumel,  down  whose  cheeks 
the  tears  were  coursing.  Dolly  had  tears  in  her  own 
eyes  too. 

'You're  a  very  big  woman,  Madam  Jumel,"  said 
Dolly  very  humbly.  "I  honor  you,  Madam." 

"Honor  me,"  echoed  Madam  Jumel,  unbelievingly. 
"Ah,  no,  you  can  scarcely  say  that — not  after  all  that 
I  have  told  you!" 

"It  is  in  spite  of  all  you've  told  me  that  I  do. 
More  than  that,  Madam,  I  want  to  own  that  I  have 
grievously  misjudged  thee.  I  have  maligned  thee 
both  in  spirit  and  by  word  of  mouth.  Dolly  Todd  is 
not  the  woman  to  cavil  when  she  finds  she's  wrong. 
I  beg  your  pardon,  Madam.  I've  hated  thee  hon- 
estly and  with  all  my  heart.  It's  not  two  hours  ago 
that  I  should  have  delighted  to  break  thy  head  with 
that  poker  I  held  in  my  hands  down-stairs.  But,  now 
that  I  know  thee,  I'm  going  to  prove  just  as  good  a 
friend  as  I  have  been  an  enemy.  And  it's  not  because 
you're  going  to  be  an  Emperor's  daughter  and  it's  not  be- 


214       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

cause  you  were  a  flower-girl  once.  It's  because  it's 
thee — Betty  Jumel — just  because  it's  you!" 

"Well,  at  least,  I'm  glad,  Mrs.  Todd,  that  you've 
found  I'm  not  as  black  as  I'm  painted — because  as 
you  know  I  never  use  rouge!"  And  with  a  laugh  she 
patted  Dolly  jokingly  on  her  carmined  cheek.  "Now 
let's  talk  of  something  else.  This  has  been  an  odd 
meeting  when  one  comes  to  think  of  it.  We  started 
almost  in  hysterics,  ready  to  fly  at  each  other's  throats' 
in  a  fairly  polite  way.  And  what  for,  pray?  Two 
men,  who  are  vastly  better  able  to  take  care  of  them- 
selves than  we  are  to  look  after  them,  in  all  probability. 
And  here  you  are,  listening  to  me  tell  of  the  perfidy  of 
the  one  while  I  sit  robed,  most  becomingly,  in  the 
dressing-gown  of  the  other!  Wouldn't  Burr  laugh  his 
head  off  if  he  knew?" 

"He  would  most  assuredly,"  echoed  Dolly.  "But 
I  doubt  in  my  soul,  if  Hamilton  would.  I  fear  me 
his  sense  of  dignity  would  be  affronted." 

"That's  true,"  corroborated  Madam  Jumel.  "Dear 
Alec  always  did  lack  a  sense  of  humor!  But  all  the 
same  you  mustn't  disparage  him  to  me,"  she  added, 
half  seriously,  "I  still  love  him  and  I  always  will, — 
better  than  any  man  alive,  for  he's  the  greatest  man 
in  the  world,  next  to  my  Father." 

"Here's  a  question  I  would  ask  thee,  to  go  back 
to  the  quarrel  of  our  two  friends,"  said  Dolly.  "Sup- 
posing, should  the  worst  come  to  the  worst  and  the 
duel  become  inevitable,  could  it  be  prevented  if  we 
were  to  warn  Pinckney  to  noise  the  news  abroad  in 
the  New  York  newspapers?" 

"Good  Heavens,  no!"  cried  Madam  Jumel,  throw- 


MADAM  JUMEL  PLAYS  TRUMPS     215 

ing  up  her  hands.  "Why  they're  the  worst  of  all 
for  duels,  the  newspapers.  Ah!  my  dear,  if  you  only 
knew  the  New  York  rags  as  I  do.  To  begin  with,  each 
has  his  own  organ — Hamilton  finances  the  Evening 
Post,  consequently,  Coleman,  the  editor,  swears  by 
him.  Burr,  to  hit  back  at  him,  owns  the  Morning 
Chronicle  with  Peter  and  young  Washington  Irving 
as  its  editors.  Naturally  they're  going  to  stand  by 
Burr.  Then  there's  DeWitt  Clinton  with  that  rag  of 
his,  the  American  Citizen,  and  that  scurrilous  dog 
Chetham  in  charge  of  it.  Why,  Coleman  of  the 
Evening  Post  just  killed  Captain  Thompson,  the  har- 
bor master.  They  say  it  was  some  commercial  row, 
but  from  all  that  I  can  gather  it  would  seem  that  it 
was  merely  a  dull  day  for  news  and  somebody  had  to 
get  up  and  kill  someone  to  fill  the  paper.  Believe  me, 
'tis  their  habit,  my  dear.  When  there  is  no  news  at 
hand  the  editors  make  it — with  duels!  If  they  can't 
make  their  contributors  like  "Old  Subscriber"  and 
"Verbum  Sap"  fight,  they'll  go  out  and  kill  each 
other.  Anything  for  news !  Oh,  no,  Mrs.  Todd,  take 
my  advice  when  it  comes  to  newspapers.  Let  sleeping 
dogs  lie!" 

"Well,  since  that's  your  opinion,  I'll  abide  by  it. 
You  know  New  York  far  better  than  I.  And  now 
— Ah!  I  caught  you — you're  yawning! — no  wonder, 
it's  almost  dawn."  Dolly  walked  to  the  window 
and  looked  out  towards  the  tavern.  "The  lights  are 
out  next  door.  The  last  of  the  revelers  must  have 
gone  to  bed.  Even  dear  Lady  Merry  upstairs  must 
have  stopped  disparaging  poor  America  for  the  mo- 
ment! May  I  bring  you  an  extra  counterpane?  The 


2i 6       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

fire's  down  to  its  embers,  you  may  find  the  room 
chilly." 

"What!  me  chilly?  And  wrapped  up  in  Burr's 
clothes?  Not  a  bit  of  it!  I  shall  sleep  like  a  cricket 
and  be  as  merry  as  a  grig  in  my  dreams  now  that  you 
and  I  have  settled  the  affairs  of  all  the  nation." 

She  was  sitting  on  the  edge  of  the  cot]  beginning  to 
disrobe.  In  a  moment  or  two  when  Dolly,  who  hospita- 
bly had  flown  in  search  of  a  hot-water  bottle,  returned 
Madam  Jumel  was  in  roars  of  laughter.  With  one 
tiny  closed  fist  she  was  beating  on  the  mattress  of  the 
bed  and  each  blow,  as  she  delivered  it  made  her  wince, 
As  Dolly  entered  she  exclaimed: 

"Well,  here's  an  end  to  Burr's  chances  for  ever  and 
aye.  What!  Me  marry  a  man  who  sleeps  on  a  bed 
as  hard  as  that?  Not  for  all  the  Burrs  in  America!" 


"WKLL  HERE'S  AN  END  TO  BURR'S  CHANCES  FOR  EVER  AND  AYE.    WHAT!  ME  MARRY 
MAN  WHO  SLEEPS  ON  A  BED  AS  HARD  AS  THAT?  NOT  FOR  ALL  THE  BURRS  IN  AMERICA' 


CHAPTER  XIV 

COLONEL  BURR  AND  MR.  HAMILTON  AGAIN  MEET 
IN  THE  EARLY  MORNING 


So  when  a  great  man  dies, 
For  years  beyond  our  ken, 
The   light   he   leaves   behind   him   lies 
Upon  the  paths  of  men. 

—LONGFELLOW. 


Who  tracked  the  steps  of  glory  to  the  grave. 

— BYRON. 

IT  WAS  at  the  annual  banquet  of  the  Society  of 
the  Cincinnati,  of  which  Hamilton  was  President 
and  Burr  one  of  the  most  prominent  members, 
that  the  two  men  met  in  public  life  for  the  last  time.    In 
spite  of  all  the  gossip,  in  and  out  of  the  newspapers,  no 
one  outside  of  their  individual  seconds  had  the  least 
idea   that  a   duel  between  Burr  and  Hamilton  was 
imminent. 

At  the  dinner  each  of  them  seemed  to  have  laid  him- 
self out  to  lull  any  suspicion  which  may*  have  been 
lurking  in  the  public  mind.  Before  the  banquet  started 
both  of  them  stood  chatting,  not  to  each  other,  but 
to  mutual  friends,  in  a  group  of  five  or  six  awaiting 
the  summons  to  dinner,  in  the  smoking  room.  Neither 
man  addressed  any  direct  remark  to  the  other  but  there 

217 


2i 8       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

was  nothing  in  their  bearing  to  denote  that  they  were 
not  still  on  the  most  friendly  terms.  Hamilton,  who 
was  known  to  have  been  ill  for  some  time,  looked  un- 
usually pale  and  haggard.  There  were  dark  circles 
under  his  eyes,  but,  as  though  to  avert  suspicion  from 
his  appearance,  his  spirits  seemed  unusually  high. 
Troup,  Morris  and  Pendleton,  his  closest  friends,  all 
remarked  weeks  afterwards  that  they  never,  had  re- 
membered seeing  Hamilton  in  a  more  reckless  and 
brilliant  mood. 

Burr,  on  the  other  hand,  was  more  quiet  than  his 
wont.  He  drank  nothing  during  the  dinner,  while 
Hamilton,  quite  unlike  his  custom,  quaffed  bumper 
after  bumper  of  wine.  His  was,  by  far,  the  harder 
part  to  play,  for  as  Chairman,  or  rather  President, 
the  whole  responsibility  of  the  dinner  lay  upon  his 
shoulders.  He  met  the  ordeal  gallantly,  almost  with 
bravado.  His  speech,  which  was  entirely  impromptu, 
scintillated  with  wit.  Hamilton  was  on  his  mettle; 
never  had  he  appeared  in  public  to  greater  advantage. 

Presently,  as  the  feast  wore  on,  there  were  cries 
from  all  parts  of  the  table,  of  "The  Drum!  The 
Drum!"  This  was  an  old  war  song  which  Hamilton 
had  sung  in  his  boyhood  days  at  Washington's  head- 
quarters with  his  two  closest  chums,  Lafayette  and 
young  John  Laurens.  Originally,  they  had  sung  this 
song  as  a  trio,  but  after  Laurens  had  come  to  his 
untimely  death  and  Lafayette  had  returned  to  France, 
Hamilton  had  continued  to  sing  it  as  a  solo  for  old 
time's  sake,  when  old  cronies  gathered  around  a  camp- 
fire  or  some  such  general  rendezvous  as  the  banquet 
was  this  night. 


COL.  BURR  MEETS  MR.  HAMILTON      219 

It  was  the  only  song  that  Hamilton  had  ever  been 
heard  to  sing,  and  to-night,  in  spite  of  all  the  urging, 
he  seemed  strangely  averse  to  singing  it.  But  the 
banqueters  had  made  up  their  minds  that  they  would 
have  "The  Drum"  and  nothing  else.  There  was  no 
gain-saying  them.  So,  finally,  exclaiming  laughingly, 
"Very  well,  then,  you  shall  have  it!"  Hamilton  mount- 
ed his  chair  and  with  one  buckled  foot  upon  the  table 
and  his  wine  glass  held  high  in  hand,  he  sang  the  old 
ditty  for  the  last  time. 

THE  DRUM. 

"Kiss  me  good-by,  my  dear!"  he  said; 
"When  I  come  back  we  will  be  wed." 
Crying,  she  kissed  him,  "Good-by,  Ned !" 
And  the  soldier  followed  the  drum, 

The  drum, 
The  echoing,  echoing  drum. 

Rataplan  !    Rataplan  !    Rataplan ! 
Follow  me,  follow  me,  each  true  man; 
Living  or  dying,  strike  while  you  can ! 

And  the  soldiers  followed  the  drum, 
The  drum, 

The  echoing,  echoing  drum. 

Proudly  and  firmly  march  off  the  men ; 
Who  had  a  sweetheart  thought  of  her  then; 
Tears  were  coming,  but  brave  lips  smiled  when, 

The  soldiers  followed  the  drum, 
The  drum, 

The  echoing,  echoing  drum. 

While  he  was  singing,  Burr,  from  his  seat  near  the 
center  of  the  table,  sat  leaning  his  face  upon  his  hands 
with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  Hamilton's  face.  He  was 
the  only  man  present  who,  when  the  song  was  finished, 
did  not  join  in  the  wild  salvos  of  applause.  While  the 
other  guests  were  applauding  and  demanding  a  repeti- 


220       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

tion,  Burr  summoned  one  of  the  waiters  and  called 
for  a  fresh  cigar. 

During  the  week  following  both  men  were  en- 
grossed in  settling  their  business  affairs.  Each  in  his 
own  peculiar  way  was  putting  his  house  in  order.  The 
night  before  the  duel  took  place  Hamilton  dined  at 
the  Grange  with  his  family.  Afterwards,  for  a  short 
time,  he  attended  a  ball  at  the  house  of  one  of  his 
oldest  Tory  friends.  The  Livingstons  were  all  there, 
Lady  Kitty  Duer, — most  of  his  old  friends  of  the  New 
York  fashionable  set,  in  fact.  And  among  them,  look- 
ing lovelier  and  more  radiant  than  ever,  was  Madam 
Jumel. 

It  happened  by  chance  that  in  the  opening  quad- 
rille, the  only  dance  in  which  Hamilton  took  part 
that  night,  Madam  Jumel  and  a  young  French  count 
were  his  opposite  partners.  Once,  during  the  course 
of  the  dance,  his  hand  touched  Madam  Jumel's,  but 
beyond  the  usual  courtly  bow,  neither  of  them  gave 
the  slightest  signs  of  recognition;  not  a  word  passed 
between  them.  Immediately  afterwards  Hamilton 
made  his  excuses  and  disappeared. 

On  his  return  home,  his  daughter  Angelica,  his  two 
elder  sons  and  his  wife  were  awaiting  him.  At  his 
request  Angelica  played  to  him  on  the  piano-forte. 
In  the  course  of  half  an  hour  both  women  kissed  him 
good-night  and  at  once  retired.  For  a  time  he  sat 
chatting  with  his  boys  and  then  they,  having  both 
kissed  him  good-night,  went  to  bed  also.  His  will 
he  had  already  executed,  so  he  was  free  to  devote  the 
hours  of  this  final  night  to  writing  personal  letters 


COL.  BURR  MEETS  MR.  HAMILTON       221 

to  his  friends.    In  the  one  which  he  wrote  to  his  family 
there  occurred  this  passage: 

"Should  it  happen  that  there  is  not  enough  money 
for  the  payment  of  my  debts,  I  entreat  my  dear  child- 
ren, if  they  or  any  of  them  should  ever  be  able,  to 
make  up  the  deficiency.  I,  without  any  hesitation, 
commit  to  their  delicacy  a  wish  which  is  dictated  by 
my  own,  though  conscious  that  I  have  too  far  sacri- 
ficed the  interests  of  my  family  to  public  avocations 
and,  on  this  account,  have  the  less  claim  to  burden  my 
children,  yet  I  trust  in  their  magnanimity  to  appreciate 
as  they  ought  this,  my  request.  In  so  unfavorable 
an  event  of  things  the  support  of  their  dear  Mother 
with  the  most  respectful  and  tender  attention,  is  a 
duty  all  the  sacredness  of  which  they  will  feel.  Prob- 
ably her  own  patrimonial  resources  will  preserve  her 
from  indigence,  but  in  all  situations  they  are  charged 
to  bear  in  mind  that  she  has  been  to  them  the  most 
devoted  and  the  best  of  mothers." 

In  the  paper  which  he  prepared  as  an  explanation 
of  his  participation  in  the  duel,  Hamilton  admitted  that 
he  shrank  from  the  coming  interview.  His  duty  to 
his  religion,  his  family  and  his  creditors  forbade  it. 
He  should  hazard  much  and  could  gain  nothing  by 
it.  He  was  conscious  of  no  ill-will  to  Colonel  Burr 
apart  from  political  opposition,  which  he  hoped  had 
proceeded  always  from  pure  and  upright  motives,  but 
there  were  difficulties,  intrinsic  and  artificial,  in  the 
way  of  an  accommodation  which  has  seemed  insuper- 
able; intrinsic  because  he  really  had  been  very  severe 
upon  Colonel  Burr;  artificial  because  Colonel  Burr  had 
demanded  too  much  and  in  a  manner  that  precluded 


222       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

a  peaceful  discussion  of  the  difficulty.  "As  well," 
Hamilton  concluded,  "because  it  is  possible  that  I 
may  have  injured  Colonel  Burr,  however  convinced 
myself  that  my  opinions  and  declarations  have  been 
well  founded,  as  from  my  general  principles  and  tem- 
per in  relation  to  similar  affairs,  I  have  resolved, 
if  our  interview  is  conducted  in  the  usual  maner,  and  it 
pleases  God  to  give  me  the  opportunity,  to  reserve  and 
throw  away  my  first  fire,  and  I  have  thoughts  even 
of  reserving  my  second  fire,  and  thus  giving  a  double 
opportunity  to  Colonel  Burr  to  pause  and  reflect." 

Burr,  meanwhile,  had  spent  the  entire  day  and 
evening  alone  in  his  library  at  Richmond  Hill.  In 
the  letter  which  he  wrote  to  his  son-in-law,  Joseph 
Alston,  he  said: 

"If  it  should  be  my  lot  to  fall,  yet  I  shall  live 
in  you  and  your  son.  I  commit  to  you  all  that 
is  most  dear  to  me — my  reputation  and  my  daughter. 
Your  talents  and  your  attachment  will  be  the  guardi- 
an of  the  one — your  kindness  and  your  generosity 
of  the  other.  Let  me  entreat  you  to  stimulate  and 
aid  Theodosia  in  the  cultivation  of  her  mind.  It  is 
indispensable  to  her  happiness  and  essential  to  yours. 
It  is  also  of  the  utmost  importance  to  your  son.  She 
would  presently  acquire  a  critical  knowledge  of  Latin, 
English  and  all  branches  of  natural  philosophy.  All 
this  would  be  poured  into  your  son.  If  you  should 
differ  with  me  as  to  the  importance  of  this  measure, 
suffer  me  to  ask  it  of  you  as  a  last  favor.  She  will 
richly  compensate  your  trouble." 

In  his  letter  to  Theodosia,  his  daughter,  Burr,  after 
particularly  enjoining  her  to  burn  all  letters  of  his 


COL.  BURR  MEETS  MR.  HAMILTON       223 

which  had  been  written  by  women  and  all  such  as,  if 
by  accident  made  public  would  injure  any  person, 
concluded  with  these  words: 

"I  am  indebted  to  you,  my  dearest  Theodosia,  for 
a  very  great  portion  of  the  happiness  which  I  have 
enjoyed  in  this  life.  You  have  completely  satisfied 
all  that  my  heart  and  affections  had  hoped  or  even 
wished.  With  a  little  more  perseverance,  determina- 
tion and  industry  you  will  obtain  all  that  my  ambition 
or  vanity  had  fondly  imagined.  Let  your  son  have 
occasion  to  be  proud  that  he  had  a  mother.  Adieu, 
Adieu." 

Burr  did  not  go  to  bed  at  all  that  night.  Just  as 
the  dawn  was  coming,  as  was  so  often  his  custom  in 
his  old  military  days,  he  threw  himself  upon  a  couch 
in  his  library  and  instantly  fell  asleep.  An  hour 
later  his  staunch  old  friend,  John  Swartwout,  entered 
the  room  and  found  him  sleeping  as  peacefully  as  a 
child.  He  awoke  him  and  told  him  that  all  was  in 
readiness.  Van  Ness,  who  was  to  be  his  second,  and 
his  friend,  Matthew  L.  Davis,  arrived.  The  fouf 
of  them  proceeded  in  silence  to  the  river's  bank  where 
a  boat  awaited  them. 

The  spot  chosen  for  the  duelling  ground  was  about 
two  miles  and  a  half  above  the  city  of  Hoboken — 
almost  directly  opposite  what  is  now  West  Forty- 
Second  Street.  At  this  point  the  heights  reached  to  an 
elevation  of  at  least  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the 
Hudson.  These  heights  rose  steep  and  sheer  and 
were  covered  with  small  trees  and  bushes.  Under  the 
heights  at  a  point  some  half  mile  from  where  they 
began  there  was  a  grassy  ledge  about  six  feet  wide  and 


224       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

eleven  paces  long.  This  was  the  spot  on  which,  five 
years  before,  Aaron  Burr  had  met  John  B.  Church, 
Hamilton's  brother-in-law.  It  was  also  the  spot  on 
which,  only  a  short  year  before,  Hamilton's  son,  Phil- 
ip, his  first  born,  had  been  killed  in  mortal  combat  with 
young  George  J.  Eacker. 

The  pistols  used  in  the  duel  between  Burr  and 
Hamilton  that  day  were  the  same  which  had  been  used 
by  Church  and  Burr  in  their  duel.  Naturally  Burr 
knew  the  spot  well,  and  when  the  boat  grated  upon 
the  shore,  he  was  the  first  to  leap  out.  In  his  hand 
he  carried  a  small  axe  with  which  he  at  once  began  to 
attack  the  undergrowth,  which  in  the  course  of  the 
past  year  since  the  last  duel  had  been  fought  there, 
had  made  the  approach  to  the  duelling  ground  almost 
impassable.  Burr  was  still  chopping  away  lustily  with 
his  axe  when  Hamilton's  barge  hove  in  sight. 

There  was  a  heavy  swell  on  the  river  and  Nathaniel 
Pendleton,  Hamilton's  second,  had  been  so  desperately 
sea-sick  on  the  passage  up  the  river  that  Hamilton,  per- 
force, had  had  to  hold  his  head.  With  Hamilton  in 
the  barge  was  a  life-long  friend  of  both  men, 
Dr.  William  Hosack.  A  mist  lay  over  the  river  presag- 
ing a  hot  and  glaring  Summer's  day.  After  the  usual 
salutations  had  been  exchanged,  ten  full  paces  were 
measured  off,  and  a  Spanish  milled  dollar  was  tossed 
for  the  choice  of  positions.  Hamilton  won  the  toss, 
and  much  against  his  second's  protest,  chose  the  west 
station,  which  placed  his  back  to  the  cliff  and  put  the 
sun  full  in  his  eyes.  Again  the  Spanish  dollar  was 
tossed  and  once  more  Hamilton  won.  This  time  it 
was  his  second's  right  to  call  the  word  "Fire!" 


COL.  BURR  MEETS  MR.  HAMILTON       225 

While  the  preparations  were  proceeding,  Hamilton, 
deadly  pale  and  looking  as  though  he  had  just  arisen 
from  a  sick-bed,  stood  chatting  with  Dr.  Hosack. 
Burr,  meanwhile,  sat  on  a  stone  nonchalantly  smoking 
a  cigar. 

The  pistols  were  loaded;  the  principals  took  their 
places — Hamilton,  looking  over  the  river  towards 
the  city,  and  Burr,  facing  the  heights.  Pendleton 
then  explained  to  the  principals  the  rules  which  had 
been  agreed  upon  with  regard  to  firing.  After  the 
word  "Present"  had  been  spoken,  each  was  at  liberty 
to  fire  as  soon  as  he  pleased. 

The  seconds  withdrew  out  of  range.  At  this  mo- 
ment old  Dr.  Hosack  suddenly  threw  up  his  hands 
and  rushed  towards  the  river.  He  had  left  his  case 
of  surgical  instruments  in  Hamilton's  boat. 

By  the  time,  puffing  and  gasping,  he  returned,  there 
was  desperate  work  for  him  to  do. 

"Are  you  ready?"  cried  Pendleton. 

Both  answered  "Yes." 

There  was  a  moment's  pause. 

"Fire!"  came  from  Pendleton's  lips. 

Burr  raised  his  pistol  and  took  aim.  At  that  instant, 
Hamilton  seemed  to  step  a  trifle  forward.  Eurr 
•fired.  Hamilton  sprang  upon  his  toes  with  a  con- 
vulsive movement.  His  pistol  went  off  and  dropped 
from  his  hands  as  he  reeled  towards  the  heights,  then 
fell  forward  upon  his  face  and  remained  motionless. 

The  ball  from  his  discharged  pistol  struck  the 
branch  of  a  tree  seven  feet  above  the  head  of  his 
antagonist  and  four  feet  wide  from  him.  Burr,  hear- 
ing the  ping  of  the  bullet,  looked  up  and  saw  where  it 


226       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

had  severed  a  twig,  then  turning  hastily,  he  saw  Ham- 
ilton falling.  He  sprang  towards  him  with  an  ex- 
pression of  horror  and  pain  upon  his  face,  but  before 
Burr  could  reach  Hamilton,  Pendleton  had  the  stricken 
man  in  his  arms,  and  as  Dr.  Hosack,  Mr.  Davis  and 
the  boatman,  at  the  sound  of  the  pistols  came  hurrying 
up  the  rocks,  Van  Ness,  with  rare  presence  of  mind, 
seized  Burr  and  started  to  drag  him  away.  In  his 
hand,  Van  Ness  carried  a  huge  cotton  umbrella  such 
as  in  those  days  was  used  to  shield  one  from  the  mid- 
day sun.  He  opened  it  and  thrust  it  over  Burr's  head 
in  order  to  shield  him  from  observation.  Without 
a  word  being  spoken  he  hurried  Burr  down  the  rocks 
and  into  the  waiting  boat,  which  was  immediately 
rowed  swiftly  back  to  Richmond  Hill  where  Burr's 
old  friend,  Swartwout,  was  awaiting  him. 

Pendelton,  meanwhile,  was  holding  the  stricken 
Hamilton  in  his  arms.  As  Dr.  Hosack  rushed  up 
he  found  Hamilton  with  the  ashy  hue  of  death  already 
on  his  face  but  perfectly  conscious. 

"This  wound  is  mortal,  Doctor,"  gasped  the  stricken 
man  and  sank  into  a  swoon. 

Ripping  his  clothes  apart,  Dr.  Hosack  discovered 
that  the  ball  had  entered  the  right  side  and  had  pene- 
trated the  stomach.  A  single  glance  proved  to 
the  Doctor  that  Hamilton  had  diagnosed  his  own  case 
correctely.  Unconscious  they  carried  him  down  the 
rocks,  placed  him  as  tenderly  as  possible  in  the  boat 
and  set  off  for  the  city.  The  fresh  breeze  from  the 
river  and  the  doctor's  restoratives  revived  Hamilton 
in  a  short  time.  His  eyes  wandered  from  right  to 
left  without  fixing  upon  any  object.  Finally  he  spoke. 


COL.  BURR  MEETS  MR.  HAMILTON       227 

"I  cannot  see,"  he  said,  "my  vision  is  indistinct." 

Presently  his  pulse  quickened,  his  breathing  became 
more  regular,  his  sight  cleared.  After  a  time  his  eyes 
happened  to  light  upon  the  case  of  pistols.  The  pistol 
which  he  had  used  was  lying  on  the  outside  of  the 
case. 

"Take  care  of  that  pistol,"  he  said,  in  quite  a  strong 
voice,  "it's  still  cocked  and  undischarged.  It  may  go 
off  and  do  harm." 

He  strove,  half  unsuccessfully,  to  turn  his  head 
towards  Pendleton,  to  whom  he  said: 

"You  know  that  I  did  not  intend  to  fire  at  him." 

After  that  he  lay  quite  calmly  until  the  boat  had 
almost  reached  the  wharf.  Then  he  said,  in  a  weaker 
voice : 

"Send  for  Mrs.  Hamilton  at  once.  Let  my  con- 
dition be  broken  to  her  gradually  but  give  her  hope. 
Do  not  alarm  her."  As  they  neared  the  wharf  he 
saw  his  old  friend,  Mr.  Bayard,  standing  there  in 
great  agitation.  In  some  unaccountable  way  this  old 
friend  seemed  to  have  already  divined  the  tragedy. 
Pendleton  called  to  him, 

"Get  a  cot  ready,  quick,  man!  We've  a  man  here 
desperately  ill." 

At  that  instant  Mr.  Bayard,  recognizing  the  form 
of  Hamilton  as  he  lay  on  the  bottom  of  the  boat, 
threw  up  his  hands  and  burst  into  tears. 

It  was  then  but  a  few  minutes  after  seven.  Mr. 
Bayard's  house,  to  which  they  carried  Hamilton,  stood 
close  to  the  river's  bank,  in  Greenwich, — a  spot  which 
now  corresponds  to  the  foot  of  Desbrosses  Street.  Mrs. 


228       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

Hamilton  and  the  seven  children  were  summoned  with 
all  speed. 

For  a  day,  until  in  fact  it  became  evident  that  there 
was  no  chance  of  recovery,  Mrs.  Hamilton  and  the 
doctors  and  nurses  were  the  only  persons  admitted  to 
his  room.  He  lingered  for  thirty-one  hours  in  fearful 
agony.  The  duel  was  fought  on  Wednesday  morning. 
At  two  o'clock  on  the  following  day,  Hamilton  died. 
An  hour  before  his  death,  while  he  was  still  conscious, 
the  Hamilton  children  were  admitted  to  the  room. 
Angelica,  his  oldest  daughter  and  his  favorite  child, 
after  one  glance  at  her  father  in  his  agony,  went  raving 
mad  and  had  to  be  carried  from  the  room.  She  lived 
to  be  seventy-six  but  never  again  knew  a  sane  moment. 

The  fate  of  this  young  girl  was  even  more  terrible 
than  the  tragic  fate  which  befell  Aaron  Burr's  daugh- 
ter, Theodosia,  a  few  years  later  on.  Burr,  at  that 
time,  had  recently  returned  from  Europe,  poor  and 
generally  discredited,  but  indomitable  still.  He  had 
succeeded  in  re-establishing  himself  in  New  York  as 
a  fairly  successful  lawyer  when  word  came  to  him 
from  the  Alston  estate  in  Carolina  of  the  sudden  death 
of  his  little  grandson,  Aaron  Burr.  This  idolized 
child,  whom  his  grandfather,  if  fate  had  favored  him, 
had  destined  to  be  the  heir  presumptive  to  the  throne 
of  that  Mexico  which  he  never  was  to  win,  had  died 
of  pneumonia  in  his  eleventh  year. 

Crushed  by  his  grief  Burr  sent  word  to  Theodosia 
to  come  to  him  at  once.  She  took  ship  from  Charles- 
ton Harbor  on  The  Patriot,  and  that  ship  was  never 
heard  of  again. 

By  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  duel,  the  news 


COL.  BURR  MEETS  MR.  HAMILTON       229 

of  the  tragedy  had  begun  to  be  noised  about  the  city. 
Bulletins  soon  appeared  in  front  of  the  newspaper 
offices  and  the  Tontine  Coffee  House.  Never  had 
New  York  with  its  sixty  thousand  inhabitants  been 
so  stunned  and  shocked  by  a  piece  of  news. 

Hamilton's  death  on  the  following  day  only  served 
to  increase  the  angry  furore.  Duelling  from  that  day 
to  this,  in  all  the  northern  states  at  least,  has  been 
placed  under  a  ban. 

Hamilton's  funeral  two  days  after  his  death  was 
the  most  memorable  event  in  the  history  of  the  city. 
Not  even  at  the  death  of  Washington  had  there  been 
so  universal  a  display  of  grief. 

The  funeral  cortege,  which  marched  from  the  Bay- 
ard residence  to  Trinity  Church,  comprised  all  the 
magnates  of  the  city,  and  representatives  of  every 
corporate  body  of  men  followed  behind  his  bier. 
Gouverneur  Morris,  on  a  platform  erected  in  front 
of  Trinity  Church,  with  the  four  young  sons  of  the 
dead  man  standing  beside  him,  delivered  a  brief 
oration. 

Almost  the  only  able  man  in  New  York  who  was  not 
present  at  Hamilton's  funeral  was  Aaron  Burr. 

Proceeding  direct  from  the  duelling  ground  to  his 
home  at  Richmond  Hill,  Burr,  seeing  only  his  old 
friend  Swartwout,  Van  Ness  and  the  two  Irvings, 
Peter  and  Washington,  calmly  awaited  the  subsidence 
of  the  hub-hub.  For  the  first  day  after  his  return  he 
remained  closeted  in  his  bedroom,  refusing  himself 
to  all.  When  he  emerged  he  was  the  same  indomitable 
Burr.  He  offered  no  explanation  and  would  listen 
to  no  reproaches.  He  maintained  then  and  until  the  day 


23o       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

of  his  death,  that  Hamilton  had  fired  at  him.  To 
Dolly  Todd,  to  Madam  Jumel  and  to  perhaps  one 
other  person,  exclusive  of  his  daughter,  Theodosia, 
he  subsequently  spoke  in  detail  of  the  tragedy,  but  to 
no  one  else.  To  the  world  he  presented  his  usual 
serene  and  buoyant  calm. 

For  eleven  days  he  awaited  the  consequences  of 
his  act  in  his  home  at  Richmond  Hill.  The  news- 
papers shrieked  aloud  for  vengeance  on  him.  The 
Coroner's  jury  found  him  guilty  of  murder,  but  the 
hub-hub  was  too  violent  at  the  outset;  at  such  a  pace  it 
could  not  last;  and  before  Hamilton's  body  had  been 
in  its  grave  a  week,  there  were  many,  even  in  Hamil- 
ton's strongest  strong-hold,  New  York  City,  who  began 
to  regard  the  matter  in  a  fairer  light  and  with  more 
leniency  towards  Colonel  Burr. 

At  the  end  of  eleven  days,  Burr,  accompanied  by 
the  ever-faithful  Swartwout,  took  barge  for  Perth 
Amboy,  where  he  was  closeted  for  many  hours  with 
his  old  friend  Commodore  Truxton.  To  him  he  con- 
fided all  his  plans  with  regard  to  his  coming  conquest 
in  Mexico.  He  told  him  of  Sir  Anthony  Merry's 
promise  of  many  English  ships.  Finding  Truxton 
enthusiastic,  Burr  started  forth  on  that  quest,  the 
maddest  in  all  history,  that  conquest  of  Mexico  which 
was  never  to  be. 

Meanwhile,  in  spite  of  all  his  new  schemes  and  wild 
enthusiasms,  he  had  found  time  to  write  two  letters — 
one  was  addressed  to  Dolly  Todd — the  other  to  Ma- 
dam Jumel. 


CHAPTER  XV 

MR.  JEFFERSON  GIVES  A  DINNER  PARTY  BUT  LOSES 
Two  OF  His  GUESTS 

"This  famed  metropolis  where  fancy  sees 
Squares  in  morasses,  obelisks  in  trees, 
Which   travelling  fools   and  gazetteers  adorn 
With  shrines  unbuilt  and  heroes  yet  unborn." 

— THOMAS  MOORE. 

MEANWHILE,  at  the  inaugural  ceremonies 
at  Washington,  Mr.  Jefferson  had  fulfilled 
his  word.  He  had  created  his  first  sensa- 
tion by  riding  unattended  on  his  old  brown  mare, 
tying  her  securely  to  the  palings  of  the  White  House 
fence  and  walking  in  sans  buckles,  sans  ruffles,  or  any 
other  folderols  and  calmly  accepting  the  oath  of  office. 
'Twas  a  wonder  which  would  have  lasted  Washing- 
ton for  the  conventional  nine  days  were  it  not  that 
the  citizens  of  that  burg  were  at  the  moment  so  fear- 
fully engrossed  in  their  own  affairs.  To  find  a 
decent  spot  to  sleep  in,  that  was  the  main  point! — not 
with  the  ordinary  sojourner  within  the  city's  absent 
gates  alone  but  with  the  diplomats,  the  soldiers,  the 
politicians,  and  all  their  good  ladies  as  well.  Never 
was  a  would-be  city  in  so  dire  a  municipal  mess. 

When  some  visiting  Frenchman  renamed  the  newly 
christened     Washington     "the     city     of     magnificent 

231 


232       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

distances,"  he  spoke  not  only  truthfully  but  well  within 
the  mark.  Of  hotel  or  tavern  accommodations  there 
were  practically  none.  The  private  houses,  even  to  the 
Presidential  mansion  itself,  were  in  a  state  of  crude 
and  damnably  uncomfortable  incompleteness. 

Dolly  Todd's  first  glimpse  of  the  interior  of  the 
White  House  caused  that  good  lady  and  fine  housewife 
to  throw  up  her  hands  in  unholy  consternation.  Her 
first  sight  was  of  the  great  drawing-room  where 
nearly  all  the  furniture  of  state  had  been  installed 
and  a  few  historical  paintings  hung  on  the  walls.  As 
for  the  furniture  itself,  it  might  have  been  so  many 
mid-day  ghosts  for  all  that  you  could  see  of  its  original 
material.  Billows  of  white — sheets,  counterpanes, 
pillow-slips,  dish-towels, — all  newly  laundered  and 
flaring  white  enveloped  it  everywhere.  Across  the 
red  cushioned  chair  of  state,  where  Lady  Washington, 
upon  a  dais,  had  been  wont  to  hold  her  royal-like  re- 
ceptions, was  thrown  a  suit  of  President  Jefferson's 
newly  washed  red-flannel  underwear.  The  clash  of 
the  two  shades  of  red  was  far  too  glaring  for  Dolly's 
artistic  eye. 

She  snatched  the  underclothes  as  a  child  from  a 
roaring  furnace,  and  turned  to  grasp  indignantly  at 
the  bell-rope  which  was  not  there.  Then,  rushing  to 
the  ante-room,  she  banged  on  the  walls  with  her  knuck- 
les, until  two  old  slaves  of  Mr.  Jefferson's  came  scur- 
rying, breathless  and  helter-skelter,  from  the  room 
which  should  have  been  the  laundry — but  was  not. 
Upon  explanation  being  demanded  the  servants  offered 
what  was  a  perfectly  reasonable  excuse.  'Twas  at  Mr. 
Jefferson's  own  orders  that  they  had  used  the  drawing- 


MR.  JEFFERSON  GIVES  A  DINNER     233 

room  as  a  drying-room.  There  was  no  help  for  it. 
Buckets  and  laundry  tubs  had  yet  to  be  installed. 
There  was  not  a  bell-rope  in  the  entire  mansion. 
'Twas  lucky  when  sufficient  wood  could  be  obtained  to 
keep  the  President's  own  hearth  alight.  Even  the 
very  stairs  had  not,  as  yet,  been  completed,  and  the 
upper  floors  could  only  be  reached  by  the  aid  of  a 
step-ladder. 

This  was  the  spectacle  which  faced  Mrs.  Todd 
when  she  arrived  in  Washington  to  witness  the  inaug- 
uration and  to  spend  a  few  quiet  restful  weeks  with 
members  of  her  mother's  family.  What  was  true  of 
the  White  House's  incompleteness  was  equally  true 
of  almost  every  mansion  in  Washington,  only  in  larger 
case.  However,  the  very  incongruity  and  unusualness 
of  it  all  brought  to  the  situation  something  of  the 
charm  of  an  indefinitely  prolonged  picnic.  From  Pres- 
ident to  bootblack  all  citizens  were  much  in  the  same 
boat,  so  after  all  what  did  it  matter! 

Never  had  an  embryo  city  a  more  exquisite  rural 
setting.  Violets,  in  great  wild  profusion,  blossomed  by 
the  doorsteps;  those  harbingers  of  spring — crocuses — 
never  sown  by  man,  had  already  bloomed  and  faded 
in  glorious  blazes  all  about  the  newly  reared  mansions 
To  step  into  the  wild  woods  one  had  only  to  walk 
thirty  paces  from  one's  own  back  door,  and  yet,  after 
the  first  few  weeks  of  sheer  discomfiture,  Dolly  loved 
it  all  heartily.  'Twas  a  new  world  and  certainly  a  new 
point  of  view  for  her. 

Mr.  Jefferson's  daughters  had  come  from  Monti- 
cello  for  the  inaugural  ceremonies  but,  like  the  dutiful 
wives  they  were,  the  new  city  in  its  forest  form  held 


234       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

little  lure  for  them,  so  they  hurried  home  again  to 
their  expectant  husbands.  After  that  scarcely  a  day 
passed  which  did  not  bring  to  Mrs.  Todd  some  urgent 
message  from  the  White  House. 

To-day  it  was  "Mr.  Jefferson's  compliments  to  Mrs. 
Todd,  and  won't  she  please  come  over  at  her  earliest 
convenience  to  see  if  the  new  dining-room  curtains 
match."  To-morrow  it  would  be — "Mr.  Jefferson 
has  just  mastered  a  new  aria  on  the  fiddle  and  won't 
Mrs.  Todd  please  come  with  Mr.  Madison  and  see 
if  it  affronts  their  ears."  It  was  a  wedding  march  he 
had  been  practicing  on  for  weeks,  but  Dolly,  when  she 
heard  it,  put  her  hands  to  her  ears  and  exclaimed, 
"  'Twould  make  a  splendid  dirge  for  a  funeral!" 

Madison,  meanwhile,  was  playing,  perforce,  a  wait- 
ing game.  He  had  no  choice,  poor  devil!  Dolly, 
enjoying  her  freedom  from  household  care,  showed 
not  the  slightest  sign  of  comforting  or  dismissing 
him  by  either  word  of  his  favorite  formula  "yes — 
or — no."  Of  the  duel  and  its  tragic  outcome  she 
spoke  to  no  one,  further  than  to  indulge  in  the  usual 
commonplace  remarks  upon  such  an  event.  When 
the  news  first  reached  her  she  closeted  herself  in  her 
bedroom  and  saw  no  one,  not  even  her  hostess, 
for  a  full  thirty-six  hours.  Then,  just  at  tea-time, 
she  descended  to  the  drawing-room  smiling,  bright, 
beaming  and  seemingly  care-free — in  fact  just  the  same 
old  Dolly  Todd.  Friends,  respecting  her  pluck,  and 
perhaps  realizing  her  heart-break,  ceased  gossiping 
of  the  duel  when  she  drew  near. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  days  a  letter  reached  her 
from  New  York.  It  was  addressed  in  a  woman's 


MR.  JEFFERSON  GIFES  A  DINNER     235 

handwriting.  Whatever  its  contents,  it  seemed  to  af- 
ford her  genuine  comfort,  for  her  old-time  gayety 
only  fully  reasserted  itself  after  its  arrival.  She  still, 
however,  was  a  sedulous  watcher  of  the  New  York 
mail,  but  though  many  letters  reached  her  from  many 
points,  none  bore  the  hand-writing  of  Aaron  Burr. 

Time  went  along.  By  midsummer  under  Dolly's 
clever  direction  the  Presidential  mansion  had  taken 
on  most  of  the  attributes  and  many  of  the  appurte- 
nances of  a  livable  abode.  Mr.  Jefferson,  grunting  and 
bemoaning  the  fate  which  kept  him  in  Washington 
while  his  heart  and  all  his  enthusiasms  were  far  away 
at  his  beloved  Monticello,  finally  decided  that  it  was 
high  time  for  some  official  function  to  take  place. 
Accordingly  he  issued  his  invitations  for  his  first  state 
dinner. 

The  guests  consisted  mainly  of  the  ambassadors  and 
ministers  from  foreign  courts.  At  his  urgent  request, 
Dolly  had  consented  to  do  the  honors  for  him.  Late 
in  the  afternoon,  Dolly,  dressed  for  the  evening  func- 
tion and  enveloped  in  a  huge  Paisley  shawl  which  she 
had  borrowed  from  her  aunt,  walked  down  Pennsyl- 
vania Avenue  towards  the  White  House  accompanied 
by  that  ever  faithful  watchdog,  Jemmy  Madison.  A 
carriage  stood  in  front  of  the  White  House  door;  two 
trunks  on  the  front  seat  almost  obscured  the  colored 
driver  from  view. 

As  Dclly  and  Madison  mounted  the  steps  a  young 
man  jumped  hurriedly  from  the  carriage  and  rushed 
towards  them  with  outstretched  hands.  It  was  Pinck- 
ney,  home  from  the  South,  where  he  had  been  for  the 
last  two  months  on  one  of  President  Jefferson's  secret 


236       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

missions.  Once  indoors,  Dolly,  with  a  thousand  mat- 
ters to  cope  with,  hurried  to  the  kitchen,  leaving  Pinck- 
ney  and  Madison  alone  in  the  reception  room. 

"Just  arrived  from  Richmond!"  gasped  Pinckney  as 
he  strove  to  recover  his  breath.  Then  turning  to  the 
servant  he  exclaimed,  "The  rest  of  my  luggage  will 
follow  in  a  few  moments.  It's  all  marked  Professor 
Columbini.  Have  it  sent  directly  to  my  rooms." 

While  Pinckney  went  to  wash  his  hands,  Madison 
turned  to  De  Vaux,  the  butler,  and  asked.  "The  usual 
time — the  dinner,  I  suppose?" 

"No  sir,  an  hour  later,  by  Mrs.  Todd's  orders. 
It's  on  account  of  the  lights,  Sir.  Mrs.  Todd  thought 
the  ladies  would  prefer " 

"Ah  yes,  quite  so,  I  understand,"  said  Madison. 
"I  hope  all  goes  well?" 

"Perfectly,  Sir,"  responded  De  Vaux,  "thanks  to 
Mrs.  Todd's  splendid  taste.  And  Mr.  Jefferson  has 
ordered  the  best  from  Monticello — silver,  linen,  wines, 
supplies — his  Paris  chef.  'Twill  be  a  proper  party, 
Sir." 

"  'Twill  be  more  than  party,"  said  Madison,  turn- 
ing to  Dolly,  who  entered  at  that  moment,  "  'twill  be 
a  parade,  with  all  the  powers  of  Europe  looking  on. 
From  their  view-point  of  complicated  etiquette  of 
ranks  and  titles — dear  me!  I'm  worried  as  to  how 
they'll  take  it." 

He  spoke  almost  apprehensively,  but  Dolly,  buoyant 
as  ever,  soon  cleared  the  air. 

"But  there's  to  be  none  of  that,"  she  exclaimed. 
"The  President  doesn't  mince  words  on  this  matter. 


MR.  JEFFERSON  GIFES  A  DINNER     237 

He  simply  proclaims  equality  and  by  the  most  rigid 
code." 

Then  striking  an  attitude  and  marking  off  her  sen- 
tences as  she  spoke  them  in  a  pompous  tone,  by  tapping 
her  fingers  with  her  fan,  she  quoted: 

"This  is  the  Nation's  House.  Where  no  man  is 
to  be  marked  inferior  to  any  other. — Every  guest  at 
my  table  the  equal  of  every  other. — The  principle  of 
our  Society,  like  that  of  the  Government,  is  the  equality 
of  the  individuals  composing  it. — And  to  maintain 
that  principle  and  prevent  the  growth  of  social 
inequality " 

"My  dear  girl,"  laughed  Madison,  "you  have  it 
by  heart." 

"Well,  why  not?"  exclaimed  Dolly,  "  'tis  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  over  again — only,  as  I 
once  told  Mr.  Jefferson,  it's  not  so  polite." 

"Ah,  but  to  enforce  it !  There's  the  rub !"  and  Mad- 
ison made  a  gesture  indicative  of  cautious  despair. 

"  But  why  not?"  said  Dolly  reassuringly.  "Laws! 
man,  they're  all  diplomats " 

Madison  shook  his  head  dubiously.  "Yes — 
and " 

"Ah,  take  care!"  cried  Dolly,  warningly.  "Re- 
member our  compact." 

Madison  checked  himself  and  smiled. 

"Yes.  That's  the  trouble,  they  are  diplomats. 
Oh,  dear,  oh,  dear!" 

Dolly  burst  out  laughing. 

"Yes,"  she  exclaimed,  "Sally  tells  me — quoting  her 
husband  D'Yrujo,  I  suppose — that  they're  going  to 
show  us  clod-hoppers  with  our  Yankee  notions  a  thing 


238       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

or  two!  Tell  me,"  she  added  in  a  more  serious  tone, 
"who  goes  in  with  him?" 

"That's  just  it,  my  dear,"  exclaimed  Madison,  "he's 
not  'going  in'." 

"What!"  cried  Dolly  aghast. 

"No.  He'll  not  appear  'till  company's  at  table 
^just  as  has  always  been  the  custom  at  Monticello." 

"But  won't  he  receive  them  here  when  they  arrive?" 

"No,  my  dear,"  and  Madison  shook  his  head.  "He 
says  'twould  make  it  too  formal.  He  does  not  wish 
to  make  it  so  much  an  affair  of  state." 

"But  who's  to  receive  them,  then — not  me?" 

"Yes,  my  dear,  you.    At  least  so  he  requests." 

"But  me!     Alone!" 

"Those  are  his  orders.  He  hopes  to  create  a  di- 
version thereby  and  obviate  the  awkward  issue  which 
might  arise  if  he  took  anyone  in  particular  in.  'Twill 
avoid  any  show  of  preference  to  any  one  nation  or 
another  and  it  will  also  impose  peaceably,  my  dear, 
the  code  which  he  is  determined  to  advocate." 

"It's  all  very  fine  to  advocate  'his  code',"  cried  Dolly 
indignantly,  "but  it's  another  thing  to  do  it,  just  the 
same,  least  of  all  to-day.  Why,  this  is  the  first  formal 
entertainment  of  his  regime — the  first  time  that  for- 
eign ambassadors  have  dined  here." 

"Precisely,"  exclaimed  Madison  persuasively,  "that's 
just  his  point.  'Twill  set  the  precedent,  this  dinner; 
that's  his  argument.  'Twill  establish  for  all  time  the 
etiquette  which  rules  the  White  House." 

"Oh,  no,"  said  Dolly  decisively.  "Not  when  we 
move  in!" 

A  gleam  of  hope  came  into   Madison's  face,   he 


MR.  JEFFERSON  GIVES  A  DINNER     239 

leaned  toward  her  eagerly,  but  Dolly  turned  her  head 
and  the  subject  at  the  same  time. 

"You're  disturbed,  Jemmy.  What's  the  matter? 
My  coiffeur?"  and  she  adjusted  her  head-dress. 

"  'Tis  most  becoming.  A  work  of  art!"  said  Mad- 
ison abstractedly. 

"And  the  robe?"  asked  Dolly. 

"Ravissante!     Work  of  art." 

"And,"  said  Dolly,  coming  tantalizingly  near  to  him, 
"how's  my  color?" 

"Work  of  art,  too,"  laughed  Madison,  but  Dolly 
protested. 

"Rouge,  after  my  promise  to  you?  Never,  Sir! 

I've  compromised  on  rose  powder.  See "  She 

leaned  her  cheek  forward  and  he  promptly  kissed  her. 

"There!"  cried  Dolly  laughingly.  "I've  been  wait- 
ing for  that.  'Tis  the  first  in  the  White  House." 

"Oh,  no,  my  dear,"  corrected  Madison.  "Remem- 
ber President  and  Mrs.  Adams  were  here  for  three 
weeks." 

"They  never  kissed  in  that  time — not  those  New 
England  icicles!" 

She  made  as  though  about  to  kiss  him  in  return,  but 
Madison,  to  her  surprise,  edged  away  and  looked 
about  uneasily. 

"Be  careful,  my  dear.  Remember  we're  not  yet  at 
home." 

"But,  we  are,  Jemmy,  we  are!"  cried  Dolly  enthusi- 
astically. "Mr.  Jefferson's  only  temporarily  in  pos- 
session. When  he  goes  out,  we're  coming  in." 

She  paused  and  looked  about  her,  at  the  walls,  the 
paintings,  the  quaint  old  red  furniture.  "There's  some- 


24o       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

thing  about  the  place,  Jemmy,  once  you  get  here,  you'd 
like  to  stay  on." 

"We'll  have  the  freedom  of  it  for  four  years,  at 
least,  Dolly,"  exclaimed  Madison. 

"Yes,  Jem,"  said  Dolly  with  feeling,  "and  every  man 
who  comes  here  within  that  time  must  go  away  thy 
friend." 

"With  Heaven's  help!"  echoed  Madison  soberly. 

"Sure!"  replied  Dolly,  with  a  slight  touch  of  her 
brogue,  "but  we  won't  rely  entirely  on  outsiders." 

"You'll  need  all  your  wits  to-day." 

"Why?    This  dinner?    I'm  not  worrying  about  it." 

"Well,  I  fear,  of  course,  there'll  be  complications. 
Merry,  Pichon  and  others,  I  presume  each  will  expect 
the  President  to  take  in  his  lady." 

"Well,  then  some  of  them  are  bound  to  be  disap- 
pointed," laughed  Dolly.  "But,  my  eye!  It  will 
create  a  diversion." 

"Oh,  yes,"  nodded  Madison.  "  'Twill  be  a  diplo- 
matic diversion.  If  Sir  Anthony  has  his  way  he  will 
make  it  a  quarrel." 

"Let  him,"  said  Dolly. 

"What!  Let  him!  Let  him  make  it  a  quarrel  that 
might  mean  the  peace  of  nations." 

"Hang  the  peace  of  nations,  Jem!"  cried  Dolly, 
snapping  her  fingers.  "It  means  your  peace  of  mind. 
I  know  what  they're  saying,  for  all  you  keep  it  from 
me — you  dearest  and  gentlest  of  men!" 

"Who  told  you?    Sally— D'Yrujo  wife?" 

Dolly  nodded  her  head.  "Just  what  she  thinks  I 
ought  to  know.  The  talk  of  these  diplomats.  That 
no  matter  what  mischief  Burr  may  be  up  to " 


MR.  JEFFERSON  GIVES  A  DINNER     241 

'Tis  treason,  the  President  says,"  interrupted 
Madison. 

"Whatever  it  is — even  treason,"  continued  Dolly, 
"Sir  Anthony  counts  on  you  to  shut  your  eyes  to  it." 

"Would  you  have  me — shut  my  eyes?"  asked 
Madison. 

"I'd  hate  harm  to  come  to  Burr,  Jim." 

"Dolly,"  cried  Madison  in  alarm.  "Is  there  in  your 
heart  any  thought  of  love  for  him?" 

"I'd  put  away  all  thought  of  him  when  I  gave  you  my 
word." 

"Was  there  ever?"  began  Madison,  but  she  inter- 
rupted him. 

"You  have  all  my  love,  Jim — or  I  wouldn't  have 
promised  to  be  your  wife.  When  he  was  about  me — 
well — don't  ever  try  to  follow  the  twists  and  turns  of 
a  woman's  heart,  Jim — 'specially  when  she's  young 
and  a  widow — don't  question  a  woman  ever."  She 
grasped  his  hand  fervidly  and  squeezed  it.  "If  she 
loves  you,  there's  nothing  to  tell — and — if  she  doesn't 
love  you,  shure,  she'll  tell  you  nothing!" 

At  that  moment  Pinckney  came  from  the  President's 
room. 

"The  President  begs  your  attendance,  Ma'am,"  he 
said,  addressing  Dolly. 

"Where  is  he,  in  his  study?" 

"No.  He's  in  the  dining-room  placing  the  guests. 
There's  an  unexpected  arrival  whom  he  does  not  know 
quite  where  to  seat." 

"Does  he  like  the  man?"  asked  Dolly. 

"Well,"  smiled  Pinckney,  "I  should  scarcely  dare 
to  say  that.  On  the  whole,  I  fancy  not." 


242       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"How  opportune!"  exclaimed  Dolly,  as  she  with- 
drew. "In  that  case  we'll  place  him  next  Mrs.  Merry." 

"And  don't  forget  to  put  me  next  Miss  Ferrar." 

"Are  you  very  much  in  love?"  asked  Dolly. 

"Yes,"  he  said  dejectedly. 

"Have  you  asked  her?"  inquired  Dolly. 

"  'Yes — and — no,' '  quoted  Pinckney,  and  he 
smiled. 

"Then  buck  up  and  do,  man!  There's  no  time  to 
lose,"  exclaimed  Dolly,  as  she  hurried  away. 

As  the  door  closed  behind  Dolly,  Madison  turned 
to  Pinckney  and  asked  eagerly,  "What  news?" 

"The  Vice  President's  returned." 

Madison  gave  a  low  whistle  of  surprise.  "Are  you 
quite  sure?"  he  asked  doubtingly. 

"Positive,  Sir.  Captain  Gadsby  of  the  Secret  Ser- 
vice has  just  sent  in  his  report.  President's  sent  to 
invite  Mr.  Burr  to  dine." 

"But  I  thought  you  had  left  him  at  Richmond,"  said 
Madison. 

"So  I  did,  Sir,  but  that  was  a  week  since.  He  was 
with  General  Wilkinson,  Mr.  Clay  and  Andrew 
Jackson." 

Pinckney  summoned  De  Vaux. 

"When  did  the  Vice  President  arrive?"  he  asked 

"Soon  after  you,  Mr.  Gadsby  said,  Sir,"  answered 
De  Vaux.  "He  went  straight  to  the  British  Legation. 
He  was  hardly  in  before  an  attache  ran  to  fetch  the 
Marquis  D'Yrujo.  As  the  Marquis  stepped  to  his 
coach,  his  lady  flew  down  the  steps,  remonstrating 
with  him.  There  were  some  sharp  words  and  tears 
on  the  pavement.  The  Marquis  turned  back." 


MR.  JEFFERSON  GIFES  A  DINNER     243 

"Gadsby  learned  this  himself?"  asked  Pinckney. 

"He  saw  Mr.  Burr  arrive.  The  rest  he  obtained 
from  the  Embassy  coachman  at  the  tavern." 

"What  do  you  make  of  it — his  return?"  asked  Mad- 
ison, as  the  door  closed  behind  De  Vaux. 

"He  has  learned  of  his  danger  here,"  said  Pinckney. 

"You  mean  this  is  mere  bravado?"  asked  Madison. 

"Ah,  no,  Sir!"  Pinckney  shrugged  his  shoulders  and 
shook  his  head.  "Bravado,  ah;  no,  Sir!  Mr.  Burr — 
right  or  wrong — he  fights.  After  the  duel  he  remained 
in  New  York  for  days.  Nearly  a  fortnight.  He  went 
freely  in  public;  showed  himself  everywhere,  till  all 
clamor  ended.  Then  Merry  and  D'Yrujo  joined  him 
at  Perth  Amboy." 

"Yes,  that  was  prearranged,  we  know,"  said 
Madison. 

"He  was  constantly  with  them,"  continued  Pinckney. 
"Not  a  sign  of  secrecy,  though  gossip  was  then  busy 
with  his  plans." 

"That's  what  puzzles  us, — his  audacity!"  exclaimed 
Madison. 

"  'Tis  marvelous,  Sir,"  assented  Pinckney.  "At 
every  point  of  his  journey  he  enlisted  men,  gathered 
arms,  bought  supplies,  had  boats  built.  Every  need 
iof  the  expedition  was  attended  to — all  openly — all 
above  board." 

"With  English  money?"  said  Madison. 

"No  trace  of  it,  Sir.    So  Gallatin  says." 

"Two  hundred  thousand  pounds  Merry  asked  his 
Government,"  said  Madison.  "We've  proof  in  his 
own  handwriting." 

Pinckney  looked  dubious. 


244       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"In  the  present  scarcity  of  gold,"  he  said,  "could 
such  import  escape  notice?" 

"Then  how  did  he  get  his  money?  Where  did  it 
come  from?"  queried  Madison. 

"He  sold  his  farms  in  Broadway  to  Astor,  the  rich 
fur  merchant.  That  was  published,  Sir." 

"Merely  to  blind  us,"  exclaimed  Madison.  "Is  all 
that  in  your  report?" 

"Everything,  day  by  day,  for  three  long  months, 
from  town  to  town." 

"And  you?"  smiled  Madison.  "Always  the  Italian 
showman,  I  suppose?" 

Pinckney  nodded  his  head,  smiled,  and  drawing  a 
show-bill  from  his  pocket,  began  to  recite:  "Professor 
Columbini,  with  his  unrivalled  array  of  Wax  Works. 
Great  Presentations  of  Historical  Incidents  and  Cele- 
brated Chara "  He  checked  himself  suddenly. 

"Pardon,  Sir,  I " 

"Quite  excusable,"  laughed  Madison.  "It's  become 
a  habit,  I  see." 

He  took  the  show-bill  and  looked  at  it  with  curiosity. 

"You  took  every  precaution,  I  hope?" 

"Indeed,  Sir,"  answered  Pinckney  emphatically,  "I 
even  asked  at  every  inn  for  macaroni.  And  where 
the  dish  was  strange  I  explained  its  mysteries." 

There  was  a  twinkle  in  Madison's  eye  as  he 
remarked : 

"You  certainly  went  to  great  lengths.  And  Burr 
never  suspected?" 

"Took  precious  good  care,  Sir,  to  keep  out  of  his 
sight.  On  one  occasion — 'twas  Nashville — he  brought 
some  ladies  to  view  the  figures.  Fortunately  I  caught 


MR.  JEFFERSON  GIFES  A  DINNER     245 

a  glimpse  of  him  as  he  approached.  I  left  the  lec- 
ture instantly  to  my  assistant,  who  intimated  to  the 
audience  that  Professor  Columbini  had  suddenly  suc- 
cumbed to  Southern  hospitality,  and  was  unwell." 

"That  was  prudent,"  said  Madison  approvingly. 

"So  it  proved,  Sir.  Our  most  popular  group  of  Wax 
Works  represented  Burr  and  Hamilton  in  the  duel. 
Unknown  to  us  and  unperceived,  some  local  wag  had 
pinned  a  large  placard  close  to  this  exhibit  on  which 
was  printed  in  large  letters,  to  be  easily  read: 

"'Oh,  Burr!  oh,  Burr!  what  hast  thou  done? 
Thou  hast  shooted  dead  great  Hamilton. 
You  hid  behind  a  bunch  of  thistle 
And  shooted  him  dead  with  a  great  hoss  pistol.' 

Burr  laughed  with  the  rest  at  sight  of  it,  but  after  he 
had  taken  the  ladies  home  he  returned  in  towering 
rage.  He  ordered  the  group  of  the  duel  instantly 
destroyed.  And  he  saw  that  it  was  done,  too.  He 
threatened  that  if  his  order  was  not  instantly  obeyed, 
he  himself  would  melt  the  figures  into  macaroni  and 
stand  by  while  the  Professor  made  a  meal  of  it!" 

"He'd  have  been  equal  to  that  threat,  too,"  smiled 
Madison. 

"But  not  I,  Sir.  I  never  cared  for  macaroni.  So 
the  group  was  destroyed,  greatly  to  the  show's  adver- 
tisement. Though  Burr's  presence  in  a  town,  by  itself, 
drew  crowds  from  all  surrounding  parts,  as  on  a  holi- 
day. Professor  Columbini's  visit  therefore  seemed  but 
a  part  of  the  general  show.  'Twas  easy  to  note  his 
associations.  We  could  pick  up  talk  of  his  plans 
ahead  in  the  streets,  in  the  taverns,  at  the  fairs.  This 


246       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

way  we  were  able  to  gauge,  too,  as  we  used  to  do  in 
Paris,  the  public  temper." 

"Was  it  friendly?"  asked  Madison. 

"For  Burr?  An  ovation,  Sir !  That's  the  only  word 
for  it.  Everywhere  honors  and  affection.  He  was 
courted  by  the  gentry.  Adored  by  the  mob.  The 
finest  companies  entertained  him.  'Twas  one  long  suc- 
cession of  dinners,  receptions,  dances,  routs.  In  Ken- 
tucky he  was  the  guest  of  Henry  Clay  and  his  lady. 
From  Nashville,  Andrew  Jackson  took  him  down  the 
river  in  his  private  barge.  On  land,  always  a  military 
escort  supplied  by  General  Wilkinson,  chief  of  the 
army.  South  and  West — so  everywhere!" 

"And  they  who  used  to  idolize  Hamilton!" 
exclaimed  Madison. 

"And  they  lament  his  fate,  Sir,"  answered  Pinck- 
ney.  "Quite  as  profoundly  as  we  do  here — but  merely 
as  the  unhappy  issue  of  an  honorable  encounter  wherein 
he  had  an  equal  chance  with  his  opponent.  Nowhere 
was  there  resentment  against  Colonel  Burr  because  of 
that  affair.  In  the  South  the  duel  is  still  the  social  code. 
Here  it's  a  custom,  there  a  habit! — like  breathing  or 
love-making — and,  that  a  lady  figured  in  the  quarrel, 
as  they  believe " 

"Who?"  interrupted  Madison  eagerly.  "Tell  me, 
who  do  they  say?" 

"Nom-de-nom!"  And  Pinckney  laughed.  "Her 
name  is  legion.  Every  lady  the  two  men  ever  knew 
and  more  they  didn't  share  the  romance.  Which  of 
course  only  adds  glamor  to  Colonel  Burr  and  his 
imperial  venture," 


MR.  JEFFERSON  GIFES  A  DINNER     247 

"Imperial  venture?"  sniffed  Madison.  "Treason's 
the  President's  word!" 

"You'll  never  convince  the  South  and  West  of  that, 
Sir." 

"What  do  they  think  he's  after — Clay,  Jackson  and 
the  rest?"  inquired  Madison  impatiently. 

"Mexico." 

"Only  Mexico?"  asked  Madison  skeptically. 

"And  anything  else  Spanish  within  reach." 

"They  owned  that?" 

"Yes,  Sir.  And  bless  him  for  it,"  answered  Pinck- 
ney.  "They  hate  Spain  with  a — a — well,  its  a  kind 
of  a  monoinsanity.  They  talk  every  day  like  Fourth 
of  July.  They  have  her  next  door  in  Louisiana,  the 
Floridas,  all  along  the  Mississippi.  To  drive  her  off 
they'd  jump  at  any  scheme.  That's  what  Burr  counts 
on. 

"Take  Mexico  and  then  his  new  Republic," 
exclaimed  Madison.  "Clay  must  see  that,  and  above 
all,  Jackson." 

"No  notion  of  it,  Sir.  I  told  'em  as  the  President 
directed — my  errand  in  their  country — what  I'd  seen 
and  heard  of  Burr's  plans — the  rumors  here — the 
President's  alarm." 

"That  Clay  knew  already,"  said  Madison. 

"Yes,  and  he  smiled." 

"But  what  did  he  think  of  Merry  and  of  D'Yrujo?" 

"At  that  he  roared  with  laughter.  He  said  he  was 
astonished  Mr.  Jefferson  didn't  see  the  humor  of  it." 

"Humor!"  exclaimed  Madison.     "What  humor?" 

"Why,   the  idea   of   Colonel   Burr  playing  Spain 


248       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

'gainst  England.  To  get  funds  from  one  or  both  for 
his  enterprise." 

"Ah,  yes.     I  begin  to  see,"  said  Madison. 

"He  pledges  England  the  freedom  of  the  Gulf — 
when  he's  driven  out  Spain.  And  promises  Spain — let 

me  see "  and  Pinckney  reflected  for  a  moment. 

"What  does  he  promise  Spain?" 

Madison  burst  out  laughing.  "No  matter,  Sir;  I've 
small  humor  myself,  but  that  I  can  appreciate." 

"  'Tis  funny,  Sir,"  said  Pinckney. 

"Yes."  Then  suddenly  turning  sober,  Madison 
exclaimed:  "Amazing  funny  that  Burr  could  make  Clay 
swallow  that  yarn.  And  Mr.  Jackson,  was  he  hilari- 
ous also?" 

"On  the  contrary,  Sir,"  declared  Pinckney  excitedly. 
"The  mere  hint  that  he,  or  his  people,  were  disloyal  I 
Well,  Sir,  Mr.  Clay  heard  me  through,  but  Jackson 
— tonnerres!  tonnerres!" 

"Yes,  he  has  language,"  Madison  concurred. 

"And  a  hickory-stick,  Sir — with  which  he  bade  me 
tell  President,  in  terms  I  wouldn't  dare  repeat,  that 
he  mustn't  think  the  South  and  West  sick  of  the  Repub- 
lic just  because  the  spindle-shanked,  hollow-chested, 
doe-faced,  doodles  of  the  East " 

The  murmur  of  the  arriving  guests  was  heard  in 
the  corridor.  Madison  checked  Pinckney  in  his  story. 

"You've  done  good  work,  Sir,"  he  said.  "Present 
your  account  of  expenses;  I'll  approve." 

"Thank  you,  Sir,"  laughed  Pinckney.  "But  'tis  I 
who  owe  the  Government." 

"How  so?"  asked  Madison. 


MR.  JEFFERSON  GIFES  A  DINNER     249 

"The  Wax  Works  show.  Very  profitable.  Enor- 
mous attendance.  And  all  because  of  Mr.  Burr!" 

"  'Twas  always  so  with  that  man,"  exclaimed  Madi- 
son to  Dolly,  who  had  just  returned.  "He  always  could 
make  everyone's  fortune  but  his  own." 

"The  President's  just  told  me,  Jemmy,"  said  Dolly 
coolly  "that  Burr's  returned.  He's  just  had  word  from 
him.  He's  not  coming  to  dinner  after  all.  He  had 
a  previous  engagement,  so  unfortunately  I  could  not 
place  him  next  to  Mrs.  Merry!  Later  possibly,  he 
tells  the  President,  he  may  drop  in.  In  time  for  the 
ice-cream  and  public  reception." 

"The  guests,  Madam !"  exclaimed  De  Vaux.  Then, 
in  a  louder  and  his  most  official  voice,  announced: 

"The  Minister  from  the  Netherlands  and  his  lady." 

"So  glad  you've  arrived!"  exclaimed  Dolly,  as  she 
greeted  them.  "The  President  will  be  so  relieved !  He 
feared  the  storm  might  keep  you  away." 

"So,"  remarked  Vrou  Van  Berckel,  who  looked  like 
an  overfed  apple  dumpling,  wrapped  up  in  crimson 
silk. 

"Bad  driving  to-day,  Mynheer?"  queried  Madison 
by  way  of  breaking  the  ice. 

"Yes,  but  fine  fishing,"  said  Van  Berckel,  who  was 
assuredly  a  cheerful  soul.  "This  morning  I  catch," 
and  he  measured  off  in  pantomime  the  length  of  the 
fish. 

"Charge  d'Affaires  for  France  and  Madam  Pi- 
chon." 

"So  glad  you've  arrived!"  exclaimed  Dolly,  as  she 
bowed  to  Pichon  and  kissed  his  six  weeks'  bride, 
Sophia.  "President  will  be  so  relieved!  He  feared  the 


250       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN,  THE  LAND 

storm  might  detain  you.  And  your  robe,  my  dear!" 
she  exclaimed,  turning  to  the  child  bride  again.  "  'Tis 
from  Paris?" 

"Yes,"  nodded  Sophia.  "And  Treasury  duties.  A 
hundred  dollars,"  and  with  her  jewelled  hand  she  in- 
dicated her  extremely  decollete  waist.  "For  next  to 
nothing!" 

"Never  mind,  dear,"  whispered  Dolly  to  Sophia, 
behind  her  fan.  "When  the  President  catches  a 
glimpse  of  you  he'll  make  'em  refund  it." 

Pichon  was  in  a  distinctly  surly  mood,  as  Dolly  was 
quick  to  divine. 

"Whom  have  you  here?"  he  exclaimed  churlishly, 
as  he  raised  his  lorgnettes  and  scornfully  surveyed  a 
bust  of  Louis  XVI,  which  stood  upon  a  revolving 
pedestal. 

"Your  former  King,  Sir,  Louis  XVI,"  answered 
Madison.  "A  friend  of  America  always.  He  helped 
us  to  freedom.  Don't  you  recognize  him?" 

"Only  this  way,"  exclaimed  Pichon  superciliously. 
!And  he  turned  the  pedestal  so  that  his  former  mon- 
arch's face  was  towards  the  wall. 

"He  gave  America  this  copy,  Sir,"  retorted  Madi- 
son, as  he  revolved  the  figure  into  its  former  position. 

"He  gave  France  the  original,"  sneered  Pichon. 
"That  was  quite  enough!" 

"Sir  Anthony  Merry  and  his  ladies!"  shouted  De 
tVaux. 

"What!  That  man  dining  here?"  said  Pichon  in 
astonishment  to  Madison. 

"Why  not,  Sir?  He's  the  English  Minister,"  smiled 
Madison  blandly. 


MR.  JEFFERSON  GIFES  A  DINNER     251 

"But,  my  dear  Sir,  France  and  England  are  at 
war." 

"Let  us  forget  it  during  dinner,"  exclaimed  Dolly, 
with  her  most  ravishing  smile.  "Madame  Pichon  is 
looking  charming." 

"Yes,  very  nice,  very  pretty,  quite  sweet !  But  then 
one  requires  some  compensation  for  an  existence  in 
this  place.  Every  night  I  ask  my  Heaven  what  have  I 
done  that  I  must  live  in  such  a  Hell." 

"Courage,  my  dear  Sir.  This  weather  won't  last," 
laughed  Dolly. 

"Will  anything  last  here?"  inquired  Pichon,  in  a 
tone  of  utter  hopelessness. 

"Your  Mr.  Napoleon  says  so,  Sir.  He  declares 
that  the  Providence  that  takes  such  care  of  children, 
blind  folks  and  inebriated  men  will  always  look  after 
these  United  States."  She  turned  to  the  Merrys  with 
her  hand  outstretched. 

"So  glad  you've  arrived!  President  will  be  so 
relieved!  Feared  storm  might  keep  you  away!" 

Then  sotto  voce  to  Ena  she  exclaimed,  "Hope  you 
won't  mind,  dear,  but  I  had  to  place  you  at  table  next 
Mr.  Pinckney." 

"You're  a  dear,  Ma'am,"  whispered  Ena,  as  she 
squeezed  her  hand. 

"Ah!  so  it  seems  you've  the  run  of  the  cellar,  here, 
Mrs.  Dodd,"  shouted  Lady  Merry,  as  she  gazed  at 
Dolly  through  her  lorgnettes. 

"May  we  count  on  your  indulgence?"  queried  Dolly 
sweetly. 

"Oh,  but  you  won't  need  to,  probably.  Entertain- 
ing's  long  been  a  business  with  you,  Ma'am.  I've  just 


252       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

been  telling  Vrou  Van  Berckel  about  your  house  in 
Philadelphia.  So  well  ordered!  Quite  unlike  a  pub- 
lic inn!" 

"Yes,  as  a  rule  I  could  choose  my  company.  Have 
you  seen  the  stuffed  birds,  Ma'am?"  asked  Dolly. 

"Yes,  thank  you,  and  the  portraits,  too,"  retorted 
Lady  Merry.  "After  seeing  them  both,  I  find  I  prefer 
the  birds." 

"Tell  that  to  the  President,  Ma'am,"  laughed  Dolly. 
"You'll  be  friends  at  once." 

"Oh,  indeed!"  sniffed  that  lady,  as  she  turned  her 
lorgnettes  on  Washington's  portrait  above  the  man- 
tlepiece.  "Is  this  the  gentleman  we  dine  with?  Mr. 
Jefferings?" 

"That  is  General  Washington,  Ma'am,"  exclaimed 
Dolly.  "Painted  by  Gilbert  Stuart." 

"Oh,  is  it,  though?"  said  Lady  Merry  with  a  spite- 
ful laugh.  "Still,  they  all  look  pretty  much  alike,  at 
a  running  glance,  I  heard  our  English  officers  say." 

"Perhaps,"  suggested  Dolly.  "They  only  saw  the 
General  at  a  running  glance." 

Lady  Merry  recoiled  and  looked  slightly 
disconcerted. 

"Well,  on  a  second  look,  I  must  admit  he  looks 
like  a  bit  of  a  gentleman." 

"Quite  a  bit,  Ma'am — exactly  six-foot-three." 

"Had  he  much  family?"  asked  Lady  Merry,  as 
though  taking  the  town  census. 

"No  children  at  all,"  answered  Dolly. 

"Oh,  poor  man!"  Then  Lady  Merry  added  in  a 
half  whisper:  "Tell  me.  How'd  that  happen?" 


MR.  JEFFERSON  GIVES  A  DINNER     253 

To  which  Dolly  in  an  equally  confidential  tone 
replied: 

"We  believe,  Ma'am,  Posterity  left  him  childless  in 
order  that  his  Country  might  call  him  Father." 
.    "Oh,  that's  how  it  was,  eh?"  said  Lady  Merry,  as 
though  suddenly  enlightened.     "What  extraordinary 
interference  in  one's  family  affairs!" 

The  D'Yrujo's  were  announced  at  that  moment. 
But  before  Dolly  could  greet  them,  Sally  had  fore- 
stalled her. 

"So  glad  you've  arrived,"  she  exclaimed  as  she 
saluted  Dolly  formally,  the  while  she  quietly  winked 
one  eye.  "The  President  will  be  so  relieved!  We 
feared  storm  might  detain  us!  And  your  robe,  my 
dear!  Ravissement!" 

"Traitor!"  cried  Dolly,  as  she  pinched  her  arm. 
"You  see,  Marquis,"  she  added,  turning  to  D'Yrujo. 
"Your  wife  has  all  my  state  secrets." 

"Well,  as  exchange  is  no  robbery,"  laughed  D'Yrujo, 
"perhaps  she'll  give  you  mine  in  return." 

"What  is  it?"  said  Dolly,  as  she  drew  Sally  to  one 
side. 

Sally's  voice  sank  to  a  whisper  as  she  said:  "My 
dear,  what  do  you  think!  Burr  has  returned!" 

"Yes,  so  they  tell  me,"  answered  Dolly  lightly. 
Then  as  Madison  approached  she  added  quickly:  "No, 
no,  you're  mistaken.  This  isn't  my  gown  from  Paris. 
Mr.  Madison  didn't  wish  me  to  wear  it." 

"Why  not?     Is  he  afraid  of  pneumonia?" 

"No,"  interrupted  Madison,  who  had  overheard. 

'Tis  much  worse,  the  newspapers.  They  proclaim 
we  must  all  patronize  home  industries." 


254       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"So  on  their  account,"  laughed  Dolly,  "I'm  to  have 
it  made  over.  It  didn't  fit  anyway." 

The  lorgnette  of  Lady  Merry  was  now  focused  on 
a  white  marble  bust  of  a  woman. 

"This  might  be  you,  Mrs.  Rodd,"  she  said  point- 
edly, as  Dolly  happened  to  pass  her. 

"On  the  contrary,  Ma'am.  'Twas  a  much  more 
important  person — Marie  Antoinette!" 

"Fancy!  She  here?  How  strange!  We'd  heard 
that  this  Mr.  Jefferings  of  yours,  when  Minister  to 
France,  watched  them  chop  the  poor  thing's  head 
off  and  never  as  much  as  blew  his  nose.  How'd  that 
happen?" 

"Mr.  Jefferson,  as  I  remember  it,  was  not  in  France 
on  that  occasion,  Ma'am.  Besides  if  he  had  been  he's 
far  too  polite  to  express  his  emotion  in  so  perfunctory 
a  manner." 

"Oh,  how-de-do,  Mrs.  Van  Berckel,"  cried  Lady 
Merry,  suddenly  turning  around.  "You  poor  thing! 
You  here,  too?  I  haven't  seen  you  since  Madrid. 
How'd  that  happen?" 

"Mynheer  was  promoted,"  said  Vrou  Van  Berckel 
cautiously,  for  she  had  been  strictly  forbidden  by  her 
husband  to  hold  converse  with  Lady  Merry. 

"Promoted  here,  from  Madrid?  God  bless  my  soul ! 
How  ironical !  Fancy  planting  a  capitol  in  this  God- 
forsaken spot.  Fairly  reeks  of  ague  and  alligators 
and  things.  'Tis  all  one's  life's  worth  to  put  foot  out 
of  doors.  I  say,  do  you  suppose  it's  some  deep  game 
to  kill  us  all  off?  Where's  your  legation?" 

"In  a  kind  of  a  house,"  answered  Vrou  Van  Berckel 
dubiously. 


MR.  JEFFERSON  GIVES  A  DINNER     255 

"Like  ours,  I  suppose.    A  hut!"  said  Lady  Merry. 

But  here  Van  Berckel  hurried  to  the  rescue  of  his 
wife  and  took  the  reins  of  conversation  into  his  own 
hands. 

"Our  legation  is  in  de  most  beautiful  street  of  the 
city,  Madam."  He  waved  his  hand  in  a  way  to  in- 
dicate a  spacious  vista.  "We  have  statues,  fountains, 
sunken  gardens,  collonades!  In  a  word,  it  is  magni- 
fique!" 

"In  God's  name,  where  is  this  place?"  cried  Lady 
Merry,  all  attention. 

"Veil,  as  yet,  I  must  confess,  Ma'am,  it  is  only  on  the 
map." 

"On  the  map?"  shouted  Lady  Merry  indignantly. 
"Good  God,  man,  our  Legation  has  a  pump  on  the 
map — but  not  on  the  premises.  Fancy,  not  even  a 
pump!  We  file  to  the  river  for  our  weekly  tub  like 
Indians." 

"Our  house  is  most  convenient,"  insisted  Van 
Berckel.  "Excellent  duck  shooting  in  de  back-yard. 
Such  snipe !  such  partridges !  and  on  Friday,  when  the 
river's  high,  we  can  catch  our  dinner  right  from  the 
parlor  window!" 

"How  jolly!"  exclaimed  Ena,  who  was  trying  fran- 
tically to  keep  her  elder  sister  within  bounds. 

"Yes,  for  a  shooting-box  or  a  fish  market,  but  not 
for  a  Capitol,"  snapped  Lady  Merry. 

"Of  course  et  es  not  yet,"  pursued  Van  Berckel. 
"But  ven  et  es  vonce,  we  shall  have  efery  adwantage." 

"What,  pray?" 

"Veil,  for  one  thing,  dere  are  de  best  oysters  in 
Washington  I  effer  eat." 


256       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"Dear  me !  oysters  and  diplomats,"  said  Lady  Merry 
rising.  "Seems  to  me  they'd  prove  indigestible." 

"Veil,  Madam,  it  seems  to  me  that  a  good  diplo- 
,mat  can  learn  something  from  a  good  oyster." 

"How'd  you  get  here  to-night?  By  carnage  or 
boat?  I'll  swear  our  horses  swam.  These  avenues 
aren't  streets.  They're  real  canals." 

But  without  answering  her  last  question  the  Van 
Berckels  had  decamped  to  the  adjoining  room. 

"That's  the  worst  of  being  a  diplomat's  wife.  We're 
tongue-tied,"  exclaimed  Lady  Merry  to  another  Minis- 
ter's wife,  whom  she  had  never  met.  "I  suppose  you've 
heard  all  about  this  Mrs.  Hodd,"  she  continued.  "Lord 
knows,  it's  no  secret!  We  lived  in  her  house  in  Phila- 
delphia, you  know,  as  paying  guests,  of  course.  She 
would  have  married  Mr.  Burr,  only  for  the  duel  with 
Mr.  Hamilton.  'Twas  on  her  account  he  fought  him. 
Now  she's  going  to  take  this  Mr.  Madison  to  stop 
vicious  tongues." 

"Dinner  is  served,"  announced  De  Vaux. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

COLONEL  BURR  RIDES  MANY  LEAGUES  TO  ASCERTAIN 
IF  A  CERTAIN  WIDOW  is  STILL  UNMARRIED 


From  the  desert  I  come  to  thee 

On  a  stallion  shod  with  fire; 
And  the  winds  are  left  behind 

In  the  speed  of  my  desire. 

— BAYARD  TAYLOR — "Bedouin  Song" 


"That  it  should  come  to  this!" 

— SHAKESPEARE — "Hamlet" 


Was  it  for  this  we  met — to  part  like  this; 
Was  it  for  this  we  loved — to  lose  this  way; 
Can  this  be  April   reddening  into   May? 
And  will  the  woods  grow   green  and  never  miss 
Beneath  their  boughs  the  murmur  of  our  bliss, 
The  happy  children  of  a  summer  day; 
Was  it  for  this  we  loved — to  lose  this  way; 
Was  it  for  this  we  met — to  part  like  this ! 

— RICHARD  LE  GALLIENNE. 

THERE   was    a   general   movement   among   the 
company  towards  the  door. 

"See,  I  go  first,"  said  Lady  Merry  to  her 
husband.  Then  turning  to  Sally  D'Yrujo,  she  remarked 
condescendingly,  "Seeing  you're  Spanish,  I  suppose  my 
husband'll  take  you  in." 

"Honored,  I'm  sure!"  said  Sally. 
"After  President  and  me,  of  course,"  added  Lady 
Merry. 

257 


258       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"Thanks  so  much!"  said  Sally. 

"I'm  famished.  What  do  you  suppose  we'll  get 
here?"  asked  Lady  Merry,  turning  to  Vrou  Van 
Berckel. 

"Dinner,"  said  that  cautious  lady. 

"Barbecue,  I  suppose?"  continue  Lady  Merry. 

"So?"  replied  Vrou  Van  Berckel. 

Her  husband  suddenly  seized  the  good  Vrou's  arm, 
and  led  her  away. 

"De  less  you  say  to  dot  English  bullfinch  vhile  we 
are  here,  my  dear,  the  more  I  von't  say  to  you  vhen 
ve  get  home." 

"But  I  only  say  'so!'  "  expostulated  the  good  Vrou. 

"Dot's  a  'so'  too  much,"  said  Van  Berckel. 

Dolly  came  sailing  down  the  room. 

"Dinner's  announced,  good  people,"  she  exclaimed. 
"What  are  we  waiting  for?" 

"Our  host,"  snapped  Lady  Merry,  and  she  tossed 
her  head. 

"But  Mr.  Jefferson  always  meets  his  company  at 
table,"  explained  Dolly,  as  though  teaching  a  hard  les- 
son to  some  simple  child. 

"We  are  dining  with  the  President.  Not  with  Mr. 
Jefferson." 

"He  makes  no  formality  of  his  office,"  persisted 
Dolly. 

"Well,  we  do  of  ours,"  said  Sir  Anthony,  with 
emphasis. 

"This  dinner,"  said  Pichon,  backing  Merry  up,  "is 
a  formality." 

"Certainly,"  corroborated  Lady  Merry.  "  'Tis  not 
a  pleasure  merely." 


COL.  BURR  RIDES  MANY  LEAGUES     259 

"Good  people,"  and  still  Dolly  smiled  serenely,  "you 
will  find  the  only  formality  here  is  informality.  Mr. 
Jefferson  wants  every  guest  at  his  table  to  feel  the 
equal  of  every  other." 

"Yes.  Once  at  his  table  perhaps,"  exclaimed 
D'Yrujo,  in  his  most  Spanish  manner.  "But  the  ques- 
tion still  is,  Who  goes  first?" 

"No  one,"  said  Dolly  firmly. 

"What!     Do  you  mean  we  go  pele-melef" 

Dolly  nodded  her  head. 

"  'Tis  the  custom  of  our  country,  to  which  the  Presi- 
dent adheres.  Gentlemen  en-masse  give  place  to  ladies 
en-masse  in  passing  from  one  apartment  to  another." 

"But  the  English  ladies  might  come  at  the  end  of 
the  mass,"  said  Sir  Anthony. 

"Our  ladies  would  have  to — at  the  English  court!" 
replied  Dolly. 

"But,  my  good  woman,"  burst  out  Lady  Merry,  with 
rising  temper,  "if  only  to  avoid  a  polite  riot,  some  one 
must  go  first." 

Again  Dolly  nodded  assent  and  made  a  graceful 
gesture  towards  the  dining-room. 

"Whoever  happens  nearest  the  door." 

"Or  has  the  sharpest  elbows,"  snorted  Lady  Merry. 

"Or  the  rudest  manners,"  added  Pichon  supercili- 
ously. 

"But  dear  people,"  exclaimed  Dolly  soothingly, 
and  as  though  surprised  beyond  measure,  "we're  such 
a  small  party  1  So  few  of  us !  Do  let's  be  agreeable ! " 

Pichon,  in  particular,  was  furious  now.  "It  might 
happen,"  he  exclaimed,  as  though  loath  to  imagine  such 
a  possibility,  "that  Holland  go  before  France." 


26o       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"True,  indeed,"  laughed  Dolly.  "Or  a  Charge 
d'Affaires  before  a  Minister  Plenipotentiary." 

She  looked  at  the  English  Ambassador,  and  smiled. 

"Good  Gad!"  said  Sir  Anthony. 

"Or  yet  again,"  went  on  Dolly  cajolingly,  "an  un- 
titled  Minister  before  a  titled  Ambassador."  She 
nodded  towards  D'Yrujo. 

"Santa  Maria!"  said  the  Spanish  Ambassador  not 
entirely  to  himself. 

"As  you  see,"  continued  Dolly,  as  though  consider- 
ing the  matter  now  fully  settled,  "Mr.  Jefferson  ignores 
all  courtly  forms  as  foreign  to  our  people  and  to  our 
institutions." 

"We  should  have  been  apprised,"  exclaimed  Sir 
Anthony  pompously.  "Mr.  Jefferson  knows  quite  well 
what  he's  about.  Pretensive  ignorance  only  aggravates 
the  offense.  He  was  for  many  years  the  Minister  at 
the  court  of  Louis  XVI,"  and  as  he  spoke  the  French 
monarch's  name  the  English  Ambassador  glared  blight- 
ingly  at  Pichon,  "when  France  was  still  a  polite  nation. 
I  am  sure  he  must  have  learned  there  the  amenities  of 
diplomatic  rank." 

"Yes,"  broke  in  Lady  Merry,  and  she  glared  at 
Dolly.  "And  failing  that,  then  Mr.  Madison  is  Min- 
ister of  Foreign  Affairs " 

"Foreign  affairs  only,  Lady  Merry,"  corrected  Dolly 
gently.  "His  domestic  affairs  Mr.  Jefferson  orders 
himself." 

Then  something  happened  which  made  the  good 
diplomats  gasp  and  rub  their  eyes.  A  negro  cook,  in 
the  white  cap  and  apron  of  his  calling  suddenly 


COL.  BURR  RIDES  MANY  LEAGUES     261 

appeared  in  the  doorway  where  De  Vaux  was  wont 
to  stand. 

"Beg  pardon,  Ma'am,"  he  exclaimed,  addressing 
Dolly,  "but  Mr.  Jefferson's  bid  me  to  tell  you  all  the 
dinner's  getting  cold." 

"That's  from  headquarters !  When  the  cook  speaks 
'twas  best  we  all  obey.  That  is  if  we  want  any  din- 
ner," exclaimed  Dolly,  as  she  moved  towards  the  door. 

"The  cook  Mr.  Jefferson  had  in  Paris,"  exclaimed 
Van  Berckel,  suddenly  recognizing  an  old  gastronomic 
friend.  " Ach !  mine  friends,  you  don't  know  what  you 
miss !  I  dine  on  him  before." 

At  that  moment  from  the  dining-room  there  came 
the  frantic  tones  of  a  fiddle  played  violently.  Pinckney 
came  rushing  in. 

"He's  in  a  towering  rage,"  he  whispered  to  Dolly. 
"Says  he  doesn't  care  how  they  come  so  long  as  they 
come  in  quickly.  If  they  don't  come  at  once,  they'll 
go  without.  He  says  tell  them  that  straight." 

"Lord!"  cried  Dolly,  now  in  real  alarm.  "  'Twould 
spoil  everything." 

She  pulled  herself  together,  and,  turning  to  the  irate 
guests,  once  more  she  said: 

"Dear  friends,  the  President's  first  solicitude  is  the 
satisfaction  of  his  guests.  He  begs  you  to  compose 
the  matter  for  yourselves  as  to  who  goes  first,  sec- 
ond, or  last — if  only  you're  content." 

D'Yrujo,  ever  gallant,  was  the  first  to  succumb. 
"I'm  agreeable,"  he  smiled,  and  offered  his  arm  to 
Dolly. 

"Admirable!"  cried  Pichon.  And  he,  too,  proffered 
his  arm  to  Mrs.  Todd. 


262       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"Perfectly  reasonable,"  said  Sir  Anthony,  as  he  fol- 
lowed the  lead  of  Spain  and  France. 

"But,  gentlemen!"  cried  Dolly,  in  mock  dismay,  "you 
embarrass  me.  I  can't  go  in  with  all  Europe." 

"Spain  goes  first,"  said  D'Yrujo. 

"By  what  right?"  demanded  Merry. 

"By  the  right  of  discovery,  Sir,"  said  the  Spaniard. 
"This  dinner  really  began  in  the  caravels  of  Colum- 
bus— built  by  Spanish  gold " 

"Vich  they  took  from  Holland,"  cried  Van  Berck- 
el,  and  he  nodded  his  head  emphatically,  as  though  to 
corroborate  his  assertion. 

"On  the  contrary,"  exclaimed  Merry,  "this  dinner 
began  in  the  English  sloop,  the  Mayflower." 

"I  beg  your  pardon,"  contradicted  Pichon.  "It  was 
in  the  French  warships  at  Yorktown !" 

"My  eye  on  your  boats,  gentlemen!"  laughed  Dolly. 
"Burn  'em  all,  or  we'll  never  get  to  dinner." 

"Please  don't  wait  on  me!"  said  Merry,  as  he  turned 
away. 

"Nor  me!"  said  D'Yrujo,  following  his  example. 

"I  cannot  eat,  either!"  said  Pichon. 

At  a  frantic  sign  of  appeal  from  Dolly,  Sally  and 
Sophia  tried  persuasion  on  their  husbands.  Then  Mad- 
ison, who  had  been  silent  until  now,  stepped  into  the 
breach. 

"I  beg  of  you,  gentlemen!"  he  appealed. 

"We  are  not  gentlemen  —  we  are  Governments!" 
cried  Pichon  excitedly. 

"There'd  have  been  one  less,  Sir,"  exclaimed  Merry 
to  the  Frenchman,  "had  I  known  you  dined  here 
to-day." 


COL.  BURR  RIDES  MANY  LEAGUES     263 

"  'Tis  not  I  who  dines  here,"  Pichon  proclaimed 
expressively.  "It  is  thirty  million  Frenchmen!" 

"Let  us  go  in  then  before  dey  do,"  exclaimed  Van 
Berckel,  and  he  pushed  his  good  wife  towards  the  door 
of  the  dining-room.  "Dere  won't  even  be  leavings, 
after  thirty  million  Frenchmen!" 

"Mynheer,"  called  Sir  Anthony  rebukingly,  "I  am 
surprised  at  you.  Holland  has  always  maintained  her 
diplomatic  dignities — small  as  she  is!" 

"Yes,"  replied  Van  Berckel,  seriously.  "And  small 
as  she  is,  Sir,  Holland's  too  big  for  such  a  quarrel — 
with  such  a  hostess!" 

By  this  time  most  of  the  guests  had  moved  towards 
the  dining-room.  The  Merrys  only  held  their  ground. 
Above  the  hub-hub  there  could  still  be  heard  Mr.  Jef- 
ferson's violin  playing  madly.  Poor  Madison  looked 
utterly  disconcerted.  Dolly,  in  spite  of  the  contigency, 
was  still  all  smiles. 

"Lord !  Now  you've  set  'em  fighting  among  them- 
selves," cried  Madison  to  Dolly. 

"The  very  thing,  let  'em  fight!  Harder  the  better 
— like  the  Kilkenny  cats." 

"But  my  dear!"  said  Madison  in  alarm. 

"  'Tis  just  what  we  want.  'Tis  just  what  the  Presi- 
dent planned." 

"This  disturbance?" 

"No.  Not  this  disturbance,  this  diversion.  This 
diplomatic  diversion,"  explained  Dolly.  "Why,  listen 
to  them  wrangling  there.  It's  working  to  a  miracle!" 

"But  the  President  can't  guess,"  cried  Madison. 

"Never  mind  him,   for  once  in  your  life,"  cried 


264       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

Dolly.  "This  is  our  affair.  Yours  and  mine,  now  that 
we're  in  it." 

"But  there's  no  way  out,"  cried  Madison,  in  dismay. 

"He'll  find  one,"  said  Dolly  reassuringly. 

Pinckney  appeared  at  the  door.  He  raised  his  hand 
as  though  to  quell  the  tumult. 

"Ladies  and  gentlemen,"  he  said,  "the  President 
awaits  you  at  table.  He  begs  Mrs.  Todd  to  show  the 
way." 

Dolly  smiled  and  crossed  to  Lady  Merry  with 
intention. 

"Shall  we  go?"  she  asked  with  deference. 

Lady  Merry  succumbed.  The  murmurs  turned  to 
chatter;  the  sneers  to  laughter.  Under  the  joint  lead- 
ership of  Dolly  and  Lady  Merry,  they  had  almost 
reached  the  dining-room  door  when  Merry,  who  alone 
had  remained  adamant,  called,  at  the  top  of  his  voice, 
the  one  word,  "Angela!" 

At  first  Lady  Merry  did  not  hear  him,  so  he  raised 
his  tone. 

"Lady  Merry!"  he  bellowed. 

"Yes,  my  dear,"  she  said,  turning  around,  but  show- 
ing no  disposition  to  come  towards  him. 

"You're  not  going  in,  Angela?"  cried  Merry  aghast. 

"Why  not,  dear?    I'm  so  hungry,"  she  protested. 

"Remain.  I  command  you,"  he  cried  in  a  low  stern 
tone,  and  he  gazed  at  her  with  wrath. 

The  chatter  had  died  away  now.  All  the  other  guests 
had  taken  their  places  in  the  dining-room.  De  Vaux 
appeared  at  the  door. 

"Pardon,  Sir,"  he  said  to  Sir  Anthony. 

"Well?"  said  the  Englishman. 


COL.  BURR  RIDES  MANY  LEAGUES     265 

"The  President's  at  table,  Sir." 

"Close  that  door,"  cried  Merry  with  an  indignant 
gesture. 

"What  now,  my  dear?"  said  Lady  Merry,  now  thor- 
oughly agitated.  "What  are  you  going  to  do?" 

"My  carriage!"  He  opened  the  door  and  sum- 
moned the  servant. 

"Yes,  and  a  pretty  figure  we  cut  waiting  for  it  here !" 
cried  Lady  Merry. 

"All  the  better !  Give  the  savages  their  lesson.  By 
Gad!"  he  exploded,  "that  was  the  last  straw.  His 
Majesty  preceded  by  Dolly  Todd,  my  landlady,  pele- 
mele  and  en-masse!" 

"It  seems  to  me  they're  very  free  with  their  nasty 
French  words  over  here,  my  dear,"  said  Lady  Merry 
ingratiatingly,  as  though  to  stroke  her  husband  down. 

"They'll  pay  for  it.  I'll  smash  their  tuppenny  repub- 
lic. All  Europe  saw  this  tumult " 

"And  shared  it  with  us.  Don't  forget  that,"  she 
replied. 

"England  shares  nothing  with  any  nation,"  he  pro- 
tested angrily.  "This  slight  was  aimed  at  us  alone  and 
singly.  And  yet  you,  my  wife,  would  have  gone  in!" 

"I'm  hungry,"  snapped  Lady  Merry.  "Nothing 
since  breakfast  but  a  cup  of  coffee."  She  fanned  her- 
self nervously  as  she  walked  up  and  down.  "Then 
bumped  and  jolted  till  my  bones  cracked  to  get  here. 
And  now — no  dinner!" 

"There  are  more  important  things  than  dinner," 
said  Six  Anthony,  as  though  he  would  raise  his  wife  to 
higher  things. 


266       THE  FIRST.  LADY  IN.  THE  LAND 

"Not  when  you  haven't  got  it!"  said  she  with 
conviction. 

"Would  his  Majesty  have  dined  under  such 
circumstances?" 

"Bah !  'Twould  take  more  than  that  to  keep  King 
George  from  his  dinner.  I  know  his  appetite — I've 
seen  him  eat!"  She  pulled  the  bell-rope  angrily.  "Why 
don't  they  answer?  Why  don't  that  carriage  come?" 

"Come.    Let's  walk,"  said  Merry. 

"Through  these  streets?    Why,  we'd  drown,  man." 

"Well,  we  can't  stop  here." 

"But  to  leave  without  some  reason  or  excuse," 
exclaimed  Lady  Merry.  "Don't  you  think " 

"Well,  say  you've  a  headache." 

"So  I  have — from  hunger." 

"Then  you  can  faint,"  suggested  Merry. 

"Never  did  such  a  thing  in  my  life,"  said  his  spouse 
indignantly.  "Went  out  of  fashion  before  my  time." 

"Fashion  or  no,"  declared  Merry.  "You'll  faint 
now  when  I  tell  you." 

"It's  impossible.  I'm  in  hoops,  man.  Fancy!  Flat 
on  my  back — in  hoops!"  She  threw  up  her  hands  in 
despair. 

"Very  well,  very  well,"  sputtered  Sir  Anthony. 
"You've  taken  cold.  You've  taken  cold." 

"Now  you  talk  sense." 

"Then  be  good  enough  to  sneeze."  He  walked  to 
the  door  and  threw  it  open.  "Here,  near  the  door,  so 
they'll  hear  you." 

Lady  Merry  made  a  frantic  effort  to  sneeze,  but 
her  attempt  did  not  please  Sir  Anthony. 


COL.  BURR  RIDES  MANY  LEAGUES     267 

"I  said  sneeze,  Madam,  not  sniffle.  There!  now, 
that's  better;  that's  the  sort  of  thing!" 

Lady  Merry  stood  with  her  hands  upon  her  hips 
sniffing  the  air  frantically. 

"I  won't  answer  for  my  stays,  Anthony,  but  I'll  do 
my  best  for  you." 

"For  me?"  cried  Merry,  waxing  wroth  again.  "I'm 
not  asking  you  to  sneeze  for  me,  Madam.  You're 
sneezing  for  his  Majesty,  King  George!"  And  he 
handed  her  his  snuff-box. 

She  helped  herself  copiously  and  achieved  the 
desired  result. 

"Well.  There!  Kerchou!  Kerchou!  There's  for 
King  George!" 

"God  save  him!"  said  Sir  Anthony.  And  his  soul 
seemed  more  at  rest. 

"And  my  stays!"  added  Lady  Merry,  as  she  patted 
herself  frantically  in  the  region  of  her  abdomen. 

"There,  now!  Two  of  'em  broke.  I  knew  it!  You 
might  have  anticipated  this." 

But  Sir  Anthony's  thought  had  soared  above  whale- 
bone. An  idea  had  found  its  way  into  his  lumbering 
mind. 

"If  only  I  could  have  anticipated  this  stroke  of 
luck,"  he  said.  "By  Gad,  it's  a  godsend!  This  gives 
me  free  hand  to  act  with  Burr.  England  wants  merely 
an  excuse  for  war.  This  Mrs.  Todd  and  her  dinner 
party  will  provide  the  cause." 

"Clever  man!"  cried  Lady  Merry,  now  satisfied  to 
have  sacrificed  her  whalebones  in  so  good  a  cause.  She 
sneezed  again  quite  naturally  and  with  ease  this  time, 
for  the  snuff  was  now  getting  in  its  work. 


268       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

De  Vaux  entered  with  a  silver  tray  on  which  were 
two  silver  goblets,  a  bottle  of  champagne  and  an  allur- 
ing plate  of  cakes. 

"The  President's  compliments!"  said  De  Vaux,  as 
he  poured  out  the  wine. 

"Tell  the  President  we  are  taking  leave,"  said 
Merry. 

"Yes,  Sir,"  said  De  Vaux,  and  bowed  himself  out. 

Lady  Merry  grabbed  a  silver  goblet  eagerly.  She 
gulped  its  contents  down.  Then  in  ecstasy  she  rolled 
her  eyes. 

"Tony!"  she  suddenly  exclaimed. 

"What's  the  matter?" 

"My  word!"  said  Lady  Merry,  and  she  drained  the 
goblet  dry. 

"What  is  it?  What's  the  matter?"  said  Merry, 
quite  alarmed. 

"Champagne,  my  dear!  That's  the  matter.  These 
beggars  are  drinking  champagne.  Take  some.  It's 
splendid."  She  offered  him  the  other  goblet,  but  he 
refused  it  haughtily,  so  she  promptly  made  away  with 
its  contents.  Merry  picked  up  the  half  empty  bottle 
and  surveyed  the  label. 

"Cuvee — '99.  Two  guineas  the  bottle.  So  that's 
their  Jeff ersonian  simplicity!  The  hypocrites!" 

"Well,  at  all  events,  there's  no  hypocrisy  about  their 
champagne,"  cried  Lady  Merry,  as  she  took  another 
long  sip.  "I've  had  worse  in  St.  James's  Palace.  Tony," 
she  added,  more  seriously,  "I  wonder  if  we're  not  doing 
these  people  an  injustice?" 

"What!"  he  exclaimed  indignantly. 


COL.  BURR  RIDES  MANY  LEAGUES     269 

"Well,  my  dear  man,  they  can't  be  such  yokels  with 
this  in  their  cellars." 

She  started  to  fill  her  glass  again. 

"Angela!"  he  thundered. 

And  in  her  fright,  poor  Lady  Merry  almost  dropped 
the  bottle. 

"How  can  you  take  hospitality  from  these  people?" 

"My  dear,  I  never  hate  people  so  much  that  I  can't 
drink  their  champagne."  She  lifted  her  glass  and 
gazed  at  it  lovingly  as  a  preliminary  to  another  sip; 
but  Sir  Anthony  snatched  it  from  her  hand. 

"I  forbid  you,"  he  cried. 

"Then  let's  go!"  exclaimed  Lady  Merry,  furious 
once  more. 

A  servant  entered. 

"Your  coach  is  not  at  hand,  Sir,  but  if  you'll  have 
the  Vice  President's,  'tis  at  your  service." 

"Mr.  Burr's!"  said  Merry,  in  astonishment. 

"Yes,  sir.  He  has  just  entered.  His  carriage  is  still 
at  the  door." 

Dolly  came  rushing  in. 

"Oh,  I'm  so  sorry,"  she  exclaimed.  "Can't  we  pre- 
vail on  you  to  take  dinner?  We're  just  at  the  roast." 

"Sorry,"  said  Merry  coldly,  "but  Lady  Merry's  been 
taken  with  an  ague." 

"Yes,"  smiled  Dolly;  "we  heard  it  in  the  dining- 
room.  She's  thrown  a  chill  on  the  entire  party.  I'm 
so  sorry." 

"The  Vice  President,"  announced  the  servant. 

Dolly  started,  as  Burr  entered. 

"Ah!"  said  Lady  Merry,  quick  to  see  her  chance. 


270       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"Here  comes  consolation  for  you.  I'm  sure  Mr.  Burr 
.will  restore  all  your  good  spirits." 

Burr  bowed  to  all  three.  Dolly  greeted  him 
smilingly. 

"Sorry  you're  the  first  to  go,"  said  Burr,  turning  to 
Lady  Merry. 

"Yes.    Too  bad,  isn't  it?    Since  we  didn't  go  first!" 

"Ah,  I  see!"  said  Burr,  comprehending  the  situation. 
Then,  turning  to  Merry,  he  added:  "Mr.  Jefferson's 
table  is  his  shrine.  Hospitality's  his  second  religion. 
You  might  better  far  have  distured  his  devotions  than 
his  dinner.  You  have  sacrificed  an  empire  for  a  cere- 
mony!" 

"Mr.  Madison  will  join  you  at  the  door,  Sir,  with 
Miss  Farrar,"  said  Dolly. 

Sir  Anthony  bowed,  and  Lady  Merry,  as  she  swept 
from  the  room,  gave  Dolly  a  very  cold  and  chilly, 
"Good  evening,  Mrs.  Todd." 

Quick  as  a  flash  Burr  closed  the  door  behind  them. 
Standing  with  his  back  against  it,  he  exclaimed 
fervently : 

"Thank  Heaven,  it's  still  Dolly  Todd!" 

Dolly  and  Burr  gazed  at  each  other  in  silence  a 
moment. 

"Why  are  you  here?"  she  said  at  last,  coldly. 

"To  see  you.  Only  for  that  I've  come  over  five  hun- 
dred miles." 

"But  you're  in  danger,  grave  danger!  Don't  you 
know  it?"  she  exclaimed. 

"Poof!"  and  he  snapped  his  fingers.  "I  had  to  see 
you,  come  what  may." 

"You  know  I'm  going  to  marry  Jim?" 


COL.  BURR  RIDES  MANY  LEAGUES     271 

"Only  by  hearsay.  In  the  wilds  where  I've  been, 
news  is  slow  and  most  uncertain.  Somewhere  I  heard 
vaguely  you  were  to  marry  Madison.  I  turned  back 
instantly  and  have  ridden  night  and  day  to  make  sure 
it  wasn't  true — though  in  my  heart  I  never  for  a 
moment  believed  it." 

Dolly  was  silent  for  a  moment,  looking  at  the  man 
from  head  to  foot. 

"I  told  you,"  she  said  at  length,  "to  come  for  your 
answer  after  you  met  Hamilton — and  Ronnie!  You 
had  given  me  your  word  of  honor." 

"And  meant  to  keep  it,"  Burr  cried  emphatically. 
"What  happened  was  accident.  'Fore  God  it  was " 

Dolly  gave  a  little  gasp  of  relief,  almost  of 
delight. 

"Hamilton's  half-step  forward.  An  untrue  bullet. 
Some  fiendish  mischance  caused  his  death.  Surely  you 
never  doubted  that,  Dolly?" 

There  was  no  doubting  the  man's  sincerity.  To 
hear  him  did  her  heart  good. 

"No.  Ronnie,"  she  said  in  an  exultant  tone  and 
with  a  look  which  was  almost  tender.  "I  knew  you 
wouldn't  fail  me  willingly  or  deliberately." 

"How  could  I?"  cried  Burr  excitedly.  "Think  what 
it  meant  to  me  !  Knowing  it  would  take  you  from  me. 
Good  God!  When  I  saw  what  had  happened,  the 
earth  fell  from  under  my  feet — my  courage  left  me — 
for  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  almost  swooned.  Not 
because  I'd  killed  Hamilton  in  fair  fight,  but  because 
I  knew  our  compact — what  it  meant.  And  that,  by  this 
mischance,  I  had  lost  you.  I'm  not  a  coward,  Dolly, 
but  after  that  I  could  not  dare  to  face  you." 


272       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"And  so,"  exclaimed  Dolly  with  bitterness,  "you 
went  headlong  with  madness  into  this  folly  in  Mexico, 
to  your  certain  ruin." 

"It  was  for  you,  Dolly;  only  for  you,"  cried  Burr. 

"For  me?"  She  looked  at  him  questioningly  and 
almost  smiled. 

"Yes.  Can't  you  see?  It  was  my  only  chance — a 
stroke  quick  and  desperate — to  take  you  with  me  into 
a  new  life.  And  I  thought  you'd  wait." 

"So  I  did,"  answered  Dolly.     "I  waited  months." 

Burr  moved  towards  her.  But  as  he  did  so,  she  drew 
away. 

"Waited  to  answer  him.  Waited  until  I  felt  sure 
of  myself.  Waited  till  I  knew  I  loved  him."  Dolly 
raised  her  head  and  looked  Burr  squarely  in  the  eyes. 
"Waited  till  I  was  certain  of  it,"  she  repeated,  as  Burr 
recoiled  as  from  the  lashing  of  a  whip.  "Though  I 
knew  it  the  moment  you  were  no  longer  near  me. 

While  you  were  still  here "     She  shrugged  her 

shoulders  doubtfully  and  passed  her  hand  across  her 
eyes  as  though  recovering  from  a  daze.  "While  you 
were  still  here" — and  she  shook  her  head — "well,  I 
wasn't  certain.  I  didn't  know." 

"Ah,  but  you  can't  shut  out  the  truth,"  he  cried 
exultantly.  "I'm  your  man,  Dolly;  you  belong  with 
me,  and  you  know  it." 

"It  isn't  true,"  she  cried,  still  facing  him.  "And  if 
it  were  truth" — she  turned  from  him  ever  so  slightly — 
"then  to  the  end  of  time,  Ronnie,  with  God's  help,  I 
should  lie." 

Burr  turned  to  her  with  a  provoking  smile.  "See 
how  you  bertay  yourself,"  he  exclaimed.  Then  chang- 


COL.  BURR  RIDES  MANY  LEAGUES     273 

ing  his  tone  suddenly,  he  added :  "Come  with  me,  Dolly. 
You  must  come  with  me.  Without  you  everything  I've 
dreamed  and  fought  for  is  nothing."  He  snapped  his 
fingers.  "It  isn't  worth  that!  It  was  for  you  I  meant 
it  all — for  you  I  risked  all — all  for  you!" 

For  a  moment  the  old  charm  of  the  man  seemed  to 
entrance  and  hold  her.  Then  with  an  effort,  for  the 
last  time  Dolly  shook  aside  his  spell.  Recovering  her- 
self, she  said  sneeringly: 

"See  the  old  Adam  in  you!  'The  woman  —  she 
tempted  me.'  You  —  of  all  men,  Ronnie  Burr!  —  to 
blame  it  on  a  woman.  Ha — ha — ha !" 

"You  laugh  at  me?"  cried  Burr,  cut  to  the  quick. 
"You  think  I'm  not  in  earnest?" 

"Of  course  I  laugh  at  you,  man.  You  wouldn't  have 
me  take  you  serious,  and  in  the  same  breath  urge  me 
to  shame.  To  play  treason  to  this  truest  of  men.  And 
I  shouldn't  laugh  at  you,  eh?  Why,  if  I  didn't  laugh 
I'd  weep  for  you,  Ronnie  Burr — weep  for  the  very 
shame  on  you!  What's  come  over  you,  man?" 

Burr  lowered  his  eyes  before  he  answered. 

"The  dread  of  life  without  you — without  hope  of 
you.  Dolly,  I  can't  let  you  go." 

He  strode  towards  the  bell-rope  and  pulled  it  vio- 
lently. He  was  all  alertness  now,  and  his  eyes  were 
flashing  again.  He  was  the  old-time  Burr. 

"And  Jim  must  know  it,"  he  cried. 

"You  dare  to  speak  to  him?  To  tell  him  of  your 
feelings?"  cried  Dolly  in  alarm. 

"Exactly.  That's  what  I  intend  to  do.  To  tell  Jim 
Madison  word  for  word  what  I've  told  you." 

"Disturb  his  life  as  you  have  mine?    Confirm  suspi- 


274       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

cion  that  gossip  has  already  started.  Take  care,  Ron- 
nie Burr!"  she  cautioned.  "Jemmy  Madison  might 
stand  by  you  in  your  peril  'gainst  his  conscience,  but 
not  'gainst  his  jealousy.  Beware  how  you  deal  with 
this  timid  man!" 

"You  don't  love  him.  And  you'll  never  be  his,"  he 
answered  flauntingly.  "You  confessed  as  much  the 
night  I  kept  you  from  giving  him  his  answer.  You 
owned  that  you  didn't  love  him  when  I  took  from  your 
hand  and  destroyed  the  message  that  would  have 
brought  him  to  you — at  the  very  moment  I  was  leaving 
to  meet  Hamilton." 

Dolly  gave  him  a  long  look,  and  there  was  pity  as 
well  as  disappointment  in  her  eyes. 

"Was  that  the  heart  you  saw  beneath  the  Quaker 
kerchief?  You — you  who  claimed  to  understand  me 
best  of  all.  Ah !  Ronnie,  listen.  What  I  wrote  to  Jim 
Madison  that  night,  when  you  were  leaving  to  fight 
Hamilton  because  of  me,  was — No!" 

Burr  started. 

"No !  I  answered  him — while  you  were  near  me. 
The  message  you  snatched  from  me  with  the  audacity 
that  only  a  foolish  and  silly  woman  could  pardon,  told 
him— Nol" 

As  she  spoke  the  door  opened.    Madison  came  in. 

"Very  well  then,"  cried  Burr,  threateningly.  "And 
so  you'll  tell  him  now." 

Madison  came  forward.  The  two  men  shook 
hands. 

"Why,  Burr!"  exclaimed  Madison,  looking  his  aston- 
ishment, "we  thought  you  in  the  far  South." 

"I  turned  back  instantly  when  I  heard  that  Mrs. 


COL.  BURR  RIDES  MANY  LEAGUES     275 

Todd  was  to  marry  you.  Jim,  you  won  her  promise 
in  my  absence.  You  knew  I  loved  her — you've  always 
known  it." 

Madison  looked  startled. 

"With  a  love  that  passes  your  understanding,"  Burr 
went  on.  "Now  I've  come  to  make  a  demand.  Release 
her  from  her  promise,  now  that  I'm  here  on  equal 
ground  with  you."  Burr  turned  and  looked  at  Dolly 
intently.  "Leave  her  free  to  choose  between  us." 

Madison,  completely  stunned,  went  straight  to  Dolly. 

"Is  that  your  wish?"  he  asked. 

"I  have  given  you  my  word,  Jim,"  said  Dolly,  with- 
out lowering  her  eyes.  "Hold  me  to  it  if  you  will." 

"Tell  me  if  you  love  him,"  Madison  persisted. 

"I'll  tell  you  nothing,"  said  Dolly  in  a  calm  and  even 
voice,  "till  you've  made  your  answer." 

As  she  spoke,  she  made  a  slight  movement  towards 
Burr. 

"Dolly!"  cried  Madison. 

"Am  I  free  to  choose?"  she  asked  him. 

"Dolly,  dear!"  cried  Madison  despairingly,  "It's  of 
your  happiness  I'm  thinking.  How  shall  I?" 

"For  once  in  your  life,  man,  answer  'yes'  or  'no.'  " 

There  was  an  instant's  pause.  Then  she  added, 
before  his  lips  had  framed  his  answer: 

"Do  you  hold  me  to  my  word,  Jim?" 

"Yes — yes — yes — 'gainst  twenty  Burrs!"  he  cried. 
"  'Gainst  twenty  Burrs  I'll  hold  you  to  it!" 

"You'd  better!"  she  cried  exultantly,  as  she  threw 
her  arms  about  his  neck,  "  'cause  I'd  have  married  you 
anyway." 

With  his  right  arm  still  surrounding  Dolly,  Madi- 


276       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

son  turned  on  Burr,  who,  white  as  a  sheet,  stood  there 
with  clenched  hands. 

"They  were  right,  Sir,"  he  exclaimed  with  formality 
and  coldness,  "who  called  you  a  'dangerous  man.'  ' 

"Come,  dear,"  said  Dolly  intervening,  "we  must 
hurry.  The  President  will  be  playing  his  fiddle  to  his 
callers.  The  ice-cream  is  getting  cold."  She  turned 
and  looked  at  Burr  with  a  glance  in  which  there  were 
both  a  sneer  and  a  smile. 

"He  dangerous?"  she  laughed,  and  she  threw  back 
her  head.  "Why,  my  eye  and  Betty  Martin !  Jim,  he's 
not  the  least  bit  dangerous!" 


CHAPTER  XVII 

FATE  SETS  THE  PACE  AND  MANY  OLD  FRIENDS 

DANCE  TO  IT  IN  DIVERS  WAYS  WHILE  MR. 

JEFFERSON  PLAYS  THE  FIDDLE 

Hanging  and  wiving  goes  by  destiny. 

— SHAKESPEARE — "Merchant  of  Venice." 


They  named   thee  before  me, 

A  knell  to  mine  ear 
A  shudder  passed  o'er  me 

Why  wer't  thou  so  dear? 
If  I  should  meet  thee, 

After  long  years, 
How  should  I  greet  thee; 

In  silence  and  tears. 

—LORD  BYRON. 


I  saw  two  clouds  at  morning, 

Tinged  with  the  rising  sun: 
And  in  the  dawn  they  floated  on, 

And  mingled  into  one. 

— J.  G.  C.  BRAINERD. 

BY  the  desire  of  both,  Dolly's  marriage  to  Madi- 
son was  a  very  quiet  affair.     It  took  place  at 
Hairwood,   Virginia,    at   the   home   of   Mrs. 
George  Steptoe  Washington,  and  so  eager  were  the 
bride  and  groom  to  return  to  Washington  to  com- 
plete the  arrangement  of  Jemmy  Madison's  new  house, 
— which,  for  elegance  and  general  comfort,  already 
far  outshone  the  glories  of  the  Executive  Mansion — 

277 


278       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

that  they  returned  to  the  Capitol  as  fast  as  their  some- 
what lumbering  coach  would  carry  them. 

Two  nights  after  their  return  the  Madisons  issued 
informal  invitations  for  their  housewarming.  It  was 
to  be  a  sort  of  easy-going,  come-one-come-all  affair,  and 
was  to  include  everybody  from  the  President  to  the 
Congressmen,  and  from  Sir  Anthony  Merry  to  the 
Turkish  Ambassador  with  his  inevitable  pipe. 

The  status  of  Aaron  Burr  in  Washington,  mean- 
while, had  been  going  from  bad  to  worse.  Jefferson, 
inflamed  by  the  many  stories  which  had  been  brought 
to  him  by  letter  and  by  word  of  mouth  from  points  in 
the  South  and  West,  no  longer  hesitated  to  denounce 
the  Vice  President  publicly  as  a  traitor.  At  Richmond, 
a  Court  of  Inquiry  was  then  sitting  upon  his  case,  and 
at  any  moment  it  was  expected  that  Burr  might  be 
indicted  for  treason. 

Dolly,  who  had  been  giving  the  final  decorative 
touches  to  her  drawing-room,  had  gone  upstairs  to 
dress  for  the  housewarming,  and  Madison  was  sitting 
enjoying  his  first  pipe  in  the  library  when  Pinckney  was 
announced  with  a  message  from  the  White  House. 

"There's  been  post  from  England,  Sir,"  said  he,  as 
Madison  motioned  for  him  to  sit  down.  "President 
will  send  it  over  as  soon  as  he  has  made  some  memor- 
andum for  his  consideration." 

"Is  it  anything  immediate?"  asked  Madison. 

"Yes,  Sir.  I  rather  fancy  it  is.  It  relates  to  Sir 
Anthony  Merry,  but,  as  he's  to  be  of  your  company 
this  evening,  President  thought  it  would  be  wiser  to 
lay  the  matter  over  till  to-morrow." 

"What  are  they  crying  in  the  streets  out  there?" 


FATE  SETS  THE  PACE  279 

asked  Madison,  walking  to  one  of  the  open  windows. 

"It's  an  issue  extraordinary  of  the  National 
Gazette,"  said  Pinckney.  "They  print  a  rumor  that 
the  court  at  Richmond  has  refused  to  indict  Mr.  Burr 
for  treason." 

"How  absurd!"  said  Madison,  a  trifle  perturbed. 
"Surely  the  President  would  have  had  first  informa- 
tion." 

"Mr.  Jefferson  suspects  a  trick  in  this  report," 
exclaimed  Pinckney.  "The  Gazette  is  friendly  to  Burr, 
as  we  know.  This  rumor  may  propose  to  give  him 
time  to  get  away." 

"I  wish  he'd  take  the  hint,"  said  Madison.  "It  would 
save  us  no  end  of  trouble,  if  he  did.  'Twill  be  a  nasty 
business  with  the  British  Minister  involved." 

He  walked  up  and  down  the  room  nervously. 

"I  think  you'll  find,  Sir,"  interrupted  Pinckney,  "the 
correspondence  that's  come  from  England  will  dispose 
of  any  trouble  from  that  quarter." 

But  Dolly's  entrance  put  an  end  to  further  discussion. 

"Evening!"  said  Dolly,  who  was  looking  radiant  in 
her  bridal  toggery.  "Will  President  be  over  to-night? 
He  told  me  this  afternoon  he  might  come." 

"He  was  intending  to,  Ma'am,  until  this  report  as 
to  Mr.  Burr " 

"What  report?  What  is  it — good  or  bad?"  she 
questioned  eagerly. 

"Nothing  certain,  my  dear,"  answered  Madison. 
"A  mere  newspaper  rumor,  they're  crying  in  the  streets. 
The  rumor  favors  him,  they  say.  But  doubtless  we'll 
have  word,  one  way  or  the  other,  some  time  to-night." 

"And  people  coming  in  for  some  music,  and  maybe 


280       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

a  reel  to-night!"  she  said  regretfully.     "Poor  Ronnie 
Burr!     Oh,  no!     We  must  turn  'em  away." 

"Why,  but —  Tonight's  affair's  to  be  quite  informal, 
my  dear,  isn't  it?"  said  Madison. 

"Informal,  yes.  But  music  and  dancing! — at  such 
a  time?  When  his  life  may  be  in  danger!  Ah!  No. 
They'll  understand  our  feelings.  They  know  he's  an 
old  friend." 

"No!  No!"  contradicted  Madison.  "You're 
wrong  Dolly,  to  make  any  change  of  plan.  It  couldn't 
have  'happened  better.  There  must  be  no  sign  of 
alarm  anywhere  in  the  Government.  On  the  contrary 
we  must  make  the  bravest  show  possible  to  reassure 
the  people." 

"Besides,  it  may  come  to  nothing,"  exclaimed  Pinck- 
ney  as  though  to  substantiate  Madison's  plea.  "At 
the  tavern,  the  gamesters  are  betting  three  to  one  this 
street  rumor  is  true  and  that  Mr.  Burr  will  not  come 
to  court  for  treason." 

"Betting  on  such  a  matter,"  exclaimed  Dolly.'  "Ah, 
it's  wicked! — sinful! — but  Lord!  /  hope  they  win." 

"My  dear  child!"  exposulated  Madison. 

"Well.     Don't  you?"  cried  Dolly,  turning  on  him. 

At  that  instant,  Jennings  opened  the  door. 

"The  Vice  President,  Ma'am!"  he  announced. 

All  three  of  them  started  with  surprise  but  Dolly 
was  persistent. 

"Don't  you?"  she  repeated  coming  closer  to  Madi- 
son. "Yes  or  no?" 

Madison  smiled  and  touched  her  cheek,  meanwhile, 
nodding  to  Jennings  that  the  guest  might  enter. 


FATE  SETS  THE  PACE  281 

"This  time  I'll  compromise  on  rose  powder,"  he 
said. 

Burr  entered  dashingly.  Debonnair,  buoyant, 
dressed  in  the  height  of  fashion,  his  figure  trim  as  ever, 
a  smile  on  his  lips,  and  his  usual  air  of  reckless  un- 
concern. He  bowed  to  all,  then  turning  to  Dolly,  he 
asked  gayly: 

"Are  you  at  home  to  me,  Mrs.  Madison?" 

"At  home?"  echoed  Dolly,  "what  an  absurd  ques- 
tion !  Why  of  course,  we're  at  home  to  thee,  Ronnie 
Burr." 

"That's  kind,"  he  answered  as  he  handed  his  cloak 
and  hat  to  Jennings.  "Over  the  way,  there,"  and  he 
crooked  his  head  towards  the  White  House — "Presi- 
dent wouldn't  receive  me." 

"I  fancy  he  must  be  unusually  engaged  just  now," 
explained  Madison  somewhat  apologetic. 

"Yes.  That  I  saw,  as  his  door  opened,"  laughed 
Burr.  "He  was  being  shaved.  I  went  to  him  only 
'cause  of  this  street  rumor.  Knew  he'd  be  torn  with 
anxiety  so  I  flew  to  reassure  him  at  first  hand,  that  I 
had  been  indicted." 

Pinckney  looked  startled;  Madison  amazed.  Dolly 
showed  her  feelings  only  by  the  nervous  way  in  which 
she  clasped  and  unclasped  her  hands. 

"Why,  we've  heard  no  word!"  cried  Madison  in 
astonishment. 

"I  have — two  hours  since,"  said  Burr  with  a  smile, 
and  speaking  as  though  of  some  most  casual  matter. 
"Your  courier  rides  bad  horses.  Still" — he  added 
gayly  and  with  nonchalence — "as  my  news  is  not  offi- 


282       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

cial,  with  your  consent,  I  see  no  reason  to  deny  myself 
a  very  charming  evening." 

"We  shall  be  charmed,"  said  Dolly,  and  Madison, 
— just  a  trifle  less  enthusiastically  perhaps, — echoed 
her  sentiment.  Pinckney  turned  to  go. 

"Use  my  study.  You  can  write  undisturbed  there," 
said  Madison. 

As  Pinckney  passed  Burr  that  gentleman  bowed  in 
a  rather  knowing  way  and  exclaimed,  in  excellent  Ital- 
ian: 

"Good  evening,  Signer  Columbini.  I  trust  you've 
quite  recovered." 

Pinckney  completely  staggered  beat  a  hasty  retreat. 

"Ha — Ha!"  laughed  Burr,  as  he  rubbed  his  hands 
and  turned  to  Madison.  "There's  the  making  of  a 
fine  detective  in  that  young  man  with  a  few  more  years' 
experience — of  disguises  and  Wax  Works.  His  Italian 
dialect  is  excellent  though  and  down  South  they  tell  me 
that  he  fairly  dotes  on  macaroni.  I  called  on  him  one 
evening  but  he  wasn't  well.  I  was  sorry  for  I  thought, 
perchance,  he  might  have  told  me  some  home  news. 
One  does  long  for  news, — away  in  the  country!  I 
was  helpful  to  him,  too.  Sent  crowds  to  his  exhibition 
everywhere — to  help  the  Government  get  its  money 
back!" 

Then  Burr  grew  serious  for  the  first  time. 

"What  a  blunder!  he  cried,  turning  to  Madison. 

"Blunder?"  echoed  Madison. 

"Yes.  Blunder.  To  stop  me — when  I  had  all  but 
Mexico!" 

"Only  Mexico?"  asked  Madison  quizzically. 

"Of  course,"  answered  Burr. 


FATE  SETS  THE  PACE  283 

"And  to  keep  for  yourself?" 

"I  wanted  it — 'bove  everything,"  Burr  replied. 

"Even  at  the  cost  of  war?"  pursued  Madison. 

Burr  cast  a  meaning  glance  at  Dolly. 

"What's  a  war  when  you  really  want  something?" 
he  cried. 

"You  take  the  matter  lightly,  Sir,"  said  Madison. 

"And  why  not?"  said  Burr  rising  and  adopting  an 
equally  stern  tone.  "This  preposterous  charge  of  trea- 
son will  fall  to  pieces  under  the  first  attack  of  truth 
and  common-sense.  No  one  ever  named  me  fool  and 
I'm  not  choosing  to  face  a  file  of  soldiers,  blindfolded, 
with  Tom  Jefferson  so  eager  to  count — 'One — two — • 
three !'  Throughout  this  venture  I've  had  the  sup- 
port of  Randolph,  Henry  Clay,  Andrew  Jackson.  Let 
me  ask  you.  Would  they  point  a  way  to  treason?" 

"President  says  you  fooled  them,"  said  Madison. 

"What?  All  three  of  them?"  cried  Burr.  "Impos- 
sible! What  the  Devil  does  he  think  I  am?" 

"That's  just  what  he  thinks — the  Devil,"  laughed 
Dolly. 

"From  the  President,  Sir.  The  foreign  post,"  said 
Jennings  bringing  in  letters. 

"If  you'll  excuse  me  I'll  glance  through  these  'till 
the  company  arrives."  Madison  bowed  to  Burr  and 
retired. 

The  moment  the  door  shut,  Dolly  exclaimed,  "That's 
why  President  wouldn't  receive  you." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  asked  Burr  perplexed. 

"You've  blundered.  That's  what  I  mean,"  cried 
Dolly.  "Sir  Anthony's  correspondence  with  his  Gov- 
ernment proves  that.  They  have  all  of  it.  President 


284       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

told  me  not  an  hour  ago.  It  is  there" — and  she  pointed 
towards  Madison's  study — "now  in  Jim's  hands.  Ex- 
cept— what  Mr.  Jefferson  withholds — because  my  name 
is  used." 

"Your  name?"  echoed  Burr  in  amazement. 

"My  name,"  repeated  Dolly  quickly.  "Sir  An- 
thony wrote — 'what  ever  your  plans  you  need  fear  no 
diplomatic  embarrassment  since  Mr.  Burr  rules  the 
State  Department  here  through  his  favor  with  the 
Secretary's  lady.'  ' 

Burr  looked  furious.     He  sprang  to  his  feet. 

"What  shall  I  do  with  him?"  he  cried. 

Dolly  rose  too,  as  though  to  close  the  argument. 

"Let  him  go  in  peace — my  Quaker  father  bids!" 

"Not  your  Irish  mother  though?"  exclaimed  Burr. 

"'Skin  'em  alive!'  she  says,"  cried  Dolly  with  a 
sudden  flare-up  of  all  that  was  Irish  in  her.  "And  you 
too,  Ronnie  Burr,  if  this  matter  becomes  public!" 

"In  that  case,"  said  Burr  with  conviction.  "I'd  de- 
serve to  be  shot." 

"That's  the  President's  opinion  precisely!" 

"Sir  Anthony  Merry  and  his  ladies,"  announced  Jen- 
nings. 

"Show  'em  to  the  music-room,"  ordered  Dolly. 

"No.  Please," — said  Burr,  then  turning  to  Jen- 
nings,— "Show  Sir  Anthony  here." 

Dolly  turned  to  go. 

"You  will  return?     Please,"  pleaded  Burr. 

"When  I've  greeted  Lady  Merry,"  said  Dolly. 

"Please  do" — he  repeated  earnestly — "there's  one 
question.  Something  I  must  ask  you.  Something  I 
meant  to  speak  of  when  last  we  met." 


FATE  SETS  THE  PACE  285 

"I  will  return,"  said  Dolly.  And  she  bowed  and 
greeted  Sir  Anthony  who  was  entering. 

"I  rather  anticipated  I'd  find  you  here,"  said  Merry 
who  would  have  shaken  hands  with  Burr  had  not  that 
gentleman  rather  pointedly  held  his  hands  behind  his 
back. 

"There's  post  to-day  from  England.  But  no  reply 
to  our  matter." 

"Naturally  not,"  answered  Burr  brusquely.  "Your 
letters  never  reached  them,  Sir." 

"What!"  exclaimed  Merry  in  amazement. 

"Mr.  Jefferson  has  them,"  said  Burr  measuring  his 
words.  "How  did  they  come  by  your  correspondence, 
Sir?" 

"If  they've  got  'em  they  must  have  stolen  'em  of 


course." 


"That's  absurd,"  said  Burr  sternly. 

"How  else  then?"  cried  Merry.  Then  with  a  laugh 
he  exclaimed :  "Well,  let  'em  use  'em  if  they  dare.  By 
Gad!" — and  he  thumped  his  fist  exultantly  on  the  table 
— "they  shall  use  'em  or  I  will." 

Madison  entered  from  the  study  and  at  sight  of  him 
Sir  Anthony  cried  at  the  top  of  his  lungs : 

"Mr.  Secretary.  I  demand  an  immediate  audience 
with  the  President." 

"He's  had  a  very  trying  day,  Sir,"  said  Madison. 
"If  you'll  tell  me  the  purpose  of  this  interview  per- 
haps- 

"  'Tis  to  receive  from  his  hands  all  my  correspond- 
ence that  relates  to  Mr.  Burr." 

"To  what  end?"  asked  Madison. 

"That's  for  me  to  determine,"  said  Merry  decisively. 


286       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"You  see," — went  on  Madison  rather  evasively — 
"the  President  prefers  to  keep  this  a  family  quarrel 
without  foreign  entanglements." 

"You  evade  the  issue,"  cried  Merry  in  his  most  im- 
perious tone.  "Do  one  of  two  things,  Sir.  Give  me 
an  immediate  audience  or — my  passports." 

"Since  you  insist," — said  Madison  and  he  gave  a 
slight  bow  which  was  full  of  meaning.  But  Merry 
would  see  none  of  it. 

"And  in  your  own  interests,  Mr.  Madison,"  he  cried. 
"You'll  insist  upon  my  rights." 

Madison  caught  the  thrust  and  resented  it.  He 
dropped  the  diplomat  and  instantly  became  the  man. 
Walking  close  up  to  Merry  he  looked  him  in  the 
eye  and  said.  "If  it's  only  a  question  of  'my  rights,' 
I'll  promise  you'll  get  them,  Sir." 

"What  do  you  intend  to  do?"  said  Burr,  when  Mad- 
ison had  started  for  the  White  House.  "If  the  Presi- 
dent grants  your  demands,  surely  you  intend  no  public 
use  for  these  letters?" 

"Why  not?"  smiled  Merry.  "If  my  King's  interests 
require  it." 

"Even  though  it  involves  a  woman's  name?"  cried 
Burr  contemptuously. 

"My  dear  Sir,"  laughed  Merry.  "I've  frequently 
heard  you  say  yourself  that  'great  ventures  can't  stop 
for  small  morals.'  ' 

While  he  was  speaking  Dolly  had  entered  the  room. 
Both  men  were  so  excited  that  they  had  not  noticed  her. 
Each  of  them  started  as,  in  her  quietest  tone,  she  broke 
into  their  conversation. 

"Small  morals?  Sir  Anthony — to  make  war  on  a 


FATE  SETS  THE  PACE  287 

woman?"  said  she  with  an  intonation  of  surprise. 
"And  that,  too,  in  the  secret  way  that  leaves  her  de- 
fenseless! 'Small  morals' — to  stamp  upon  her  name 
in  the  records  of  State  a  slur  and  suspicion  that  time 
will  only  deepen.  You  think  that's  'small  morals,'  Sir? 
I  venture  to  doubt  that  the  First  Gentleman  of  Europe, 
as  you  call  your  King,  will  countenance  such  diplo- 
macy." 

She  turned  away  in  disgust.  Burr  was  at  the  Eng- 
lishman's throat. 

"Damn  you!"  he  cried.  "I  forbade  you.  Pledged 
you  not  to  mention,  not  by  name  nor  hint.  You  shall 
answer  to  me." 

"At  your  service,  Sir,"  cried  Merry. 

Dolly  turned  quickly. 

"No!  No!"  She  looked  appealing  at  Burr.  "You 
forget  yourself!" 

Madison  returned  hurriedly.  There  was  a  look  of 
grim  determination  on  his  face. 

Burr  at  a  nod  from  Dolly  retired  almost  instantly 
into  the  music-room.  Dolly  had  divined  that  for  Sir 
Anthony  there  were  some  very  serious  matters  afoot. 

"Here's  your  reply,  Sir  Anthony,"  said  Madison  as 
he  handed  the  Englishman  a  document. 

Merry  read  the  superscription  and  threw  the  packet 
on  the  table. 

"  'Sir  Anthony  Merry.'  He  omits  my  official  titles. 
I'll  not  accept  it."  he  declared. 

"I  fancy  the  contents  will  explain,  Sir,"  said  Madison 
calmly. 

"I  demand  audience,"  cried  Merry  imperiously. 

Madison  bowed. 


288       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"The  President,  I  am  sure,  will  receive  you  at  your 
earliest  convenience,  in  audience-of-leave." 

"But  I've  asked  no  such  audience,  Sir?"  cried  Merry 
taken  thoroughly  aback. 

"The  President  anticipates  that  you  will  be  eager  to 
hasten  your  departure  now  that  you  have  resigned  as 
his  Majesty's  Minister." 

Merry  began  to  see  a  great,  but  most  unpleasant 
light. 

"I'm  not  aware  that  his  Majesty's  received  any  such' 
resignation." 

Madison  bowed  for  the  third  time. 

"Then  I  regret  to  say,  Sir,  that  his  Majesty  must 
have  anticipated  too." 

"By  what  assurance  do  you  speak  for  the  King?" 
cried  Merry  furiously. 

"By  the  King's  assurance,"  replied  Madison  firmly, 
"that  he  is  unwilling  to  be  represented  by  a  gentleman 
who  so  lightly  appreciates  the  hospitality  of  a  friendly 
nation  and  mistakes  tolerance  for  timidity." 

Turning  to  Pinckney,  Madison  picked  up  the  packe$ 
from  the  table  and  exclaimed  in  his  most  official  tone : 

"Please  see  this  taken  to  the  British  Legation  for 
Sir  Anthony  Merry." 

Pinckney  started  for  the  door  but  the  Englishman 
intercepted  him. 

"Well,  of  course,"  he  exclaimed  excitedly.  "When 
an  envoy's  letters  to  his  Government  are  stolen " 

"No  such  thing  could  happen  here,"  said  Madison 
sternly. 

"Rubbish!"  cried  Merry.  "My  correspondence  to 
the  King  is  in  your  possession  thanks  to  this  gentle- 


FATE  SETS  THE  PACE  289 

man" — pointing  to  Pinckney,  who  with  clenched  hands 
looked  as  if  he  were  about  to  knock  the  Englishman 
down. 

"But,"  resumed  Madison  blandly.  "That  corre- 
spondence came  to  us  from  England,  Sir.  Through 
Minister  Monroe." 

Sir  Anthony  gasped.     His  face  turned  purple. 

"How'd  he  come  by  it?"  he  cried  incredulously. 

"From  the  King,  himself,  Sir,"  said  Madison.  "To 
show  that  all  is  well  between  us.  That  he  treats  with 
us  in  good  faith.  And  that  so,  too,  shall  your  success- 
or— Lord  Erskine." 

"I  can't  believe  my  ears,"  spluttered  Merry.  "It 
isn't  true.  It  can't  be." 

"Believe  your  eyes  then,  Sir.  Mr.  Pinckney  will 
fetch  the  correspondence." 

Again  Pinckney  started  to  go.  Again  the  English- 
man barred  his  way,  but  this  time  his  attitude  had 
changed. 

"Your  word  is  sufficient,"  he  remarked  to  Madison. 
Then  to  Pinckney,  "I  beg  your  pardon,  Sir.  Though," 
and  he  turned  to  Madison  snappishly  once  more,  "I 
believe  Mr.  Jefferson's  people  quite  capable  of  what  I 
suspected." 

Lady  Merry,  quickly  followed  by  Ena,  entered  just 
in  time  to  over-hear  her  husband's  last  speech. 

"Then  it's  true,  Tony,  what  they're  saying  in  there?" 
she  asked  in  alarm. 

Sir  Anthony  nodded  his  head  grimly.  "Gossiping 
already!"  he  added. 

"They  say  we're  going  home?" 


290       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

Again  Merry  too  overcome  to  speak,  nodded  his 
head. 

"Thank  God!"  cried  Lady  Merry  fervently.  "Oh, 
thank  God!" 

"Angela!"  cried  Sir  Anthony  reprovingly. 

Lady  Merry  sank  into  a  chair,  sobbing. 

"Yes.  Thank  God!  And  I  say  it  again  Tony — 
whether  you  like  it  or  not.  "Thank  God  we're  going! 
Though  it  be  in  disgrace — in  chains — anything — any- 
way— just  so  we  leave  this  cruel,  this  brutish  country!" 

For  once  Lady  Merry  was  speechless.  Sobs  were 
choking  her.  Sir  Anthony  patted  her  shoulder  sooth- 
ingly. Ena  with  a  handkerchief  and  smelling  salts 
strove  vainly  to  restore  her.  In  all  the  months  that  she 
had  known  him,  Dolly  Madison  never  had  felt,  for  this 
stupid,  blundering,  but  still  sincere  Englishman,  so  real 
a  respect  as  in  that  moment  when,  in  the  face  of  his 
wife's  grief  and  of  a  withering  blow  to  his  own  pride, 
he  pulled  his  shoulders  back,  lifted  his  head  and,  turn- 
ing to  Madison,  said: 

"Sir !  You  will  pardon  Lady  Merry's  outburst.  She 
is  unstrung.  She " 

But  Dolly  stepped  into  the  breach. 

"We  quite  understand,  Sir  Anthony,"  she  said  as 
she  patted  his  hand.  "Some  things  here  must  have 
been  a  great  trial  to  Lady  Merry.  Our  ways  are  not 
quite  your  ways.  And  I'm  sure  as  time  goes  on  and  we 
all  gain  wisdom  as  well  as  charity  looking  back  on  these 
little  differences,  we'll  all  be  sorry — everyone  of  us!" 

Lady  Merry  revived  suddenly. 

"Sorry?"  she  shrieked.  "Sorry  to  leave  this  damn- 
able country  and  these  yahoos?  Sorry,  indeed! 


FATE  SETS  THE  PACE  291 

Paugh!"  She  sprang  to  her  feet.  "Come  Ena.  Let's 
get  away  from  here.  We  must  go  and  pack." 

Ena  was  crying.  Her  trembling  hands  took  Dolly's 
and  raised  one  of  them  to  her  lips. 

"Au  voir,  Madam!"  she  murmured  while  her  lips 
quivered. 

"Au  voir!  Indeed!"  shrieked  Lady  Merry.  "Say 
good-bye  at  once  and  have  an  end  of  it.  We  shall 
leave  for  New  York  by  the  first  chaise.  When  does 
the  next  packet  sail?" 

Ena,  still  trembling,  held  on  to  Dolly's  hand. 

"Listen,  Angle,"  she  said,  turning  to  her  sister. 
"Please  listen,  dear!  I  said  'Au  voir,'  purposely.  Be- 
cause I  did  not  mean  'good-bye.'  ' 

"Well  what  did  you  mean  then?"  demanded  Lady 
Merry.  "We  leave  here  to-morrow  morning,  by  God's 
grace!" 

"That  is  what  I'm  trying  to  tell  you,  dear.  I've 
promised  Mr.  Pinckney  to  remain." 

"Yes."  interpolated  Dolly.  "And  'till  they're  mar- 
ried Ena  is  to  be  my  guest." 

"Ena!"  shrieked  her  sister  wildly.  "Are  you  mad? 
Have  you  lost  your  head?" 

"It's  gone  with  the  rest  of  me,"  sobbed  Ena. 

"How'd  that  happen  ?  You  poor  child ! "  asked  Lady 
Merry,  now  waxing  almost  sympathetic. 

But  at  sight  of  poor  Pinckney  standing  by,  she  sud- 
denly grew  vicious  again. 

"And  for  him — that  poppinjay?" 

"Don't  Angie.  Please  don't,"  cried  Ena  pleadingly. 
"He's  not  one  of  the  things  you  were  going  to  say. 


292       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

And  if  he  were  all  of  them  'twould  make  no  difference. 
I  love  him." 

She  went  to  Pinckney  and  laid  her  hand  upon  his 
arm. 

Dolly,  meanwhile,  was  beaming  sympathy  upon  them 
both. 

"Never!"  cried  Lady  Merry,  as  she  strove  to  move 
Ena  from  Pinckney's  side.  "Leave  you  here — with 
that?" 

"  'Twould  not  be  for  long,  Lady  Merry,"  inter- 
posed Dolly  quickly.  "You  may  not  have  heard  but 
Mr.  Pinckney  goes  to  our  London  Legation  as  First 
Secretary — the  moment  your  husband's  successor  ar- 


rives." 


"There'll  be  no  successor!"  shouted  Lady  Merry. 

"Yes,  dear,  there  will,"  said  Merry  gently.  "Lord 
Erskine  has  been  already  named." 

"But  his  wife's  American!"  cried  Lady  Merry. 

"Yes.  An  old  friend,"  corroborated  Dolly.  "Miss 
Cadwalader  of  Philadelphia." 

"I  see!  I  understand  at  last!"  said  Lady  Merry. 
Then,  turning  to  her  husband  she  exclaimed  indignant- 
ly, "And  you — you — you  fool — you  idiot!  See  how 
you've  played  into  the  hands  of  these " 

"Hush!  Angela.  Please,  they'll  hear  you,"  cried 
Ena,  trying  to  soothe  her. 

"Let  them,"  said  Dolly  calmly  as  she  went  to  Lady 
Merry's  side.  "I'm  sure  Lady  Merry's  tired  of  being 
diplomatic— of  stifling  her  feelings — choosing  her 
words!  Say  what  you  like  Ma'am  for  once  in  your 
life.  'Twill  do  you  good!" 

"Thank  you,  Ma'am,"  said  Lady  Merry  through 


FATE  SETS  THE  PACE  293 

her  tears.  "That's  the  first  kindness  I've  known  here 
— except  our  passports.  For  these  we're  indebted  to 
you,  Sir" — and  she  turned  on  Burr  viciously.  "And  I 
forgive  you  everything.  My  only  hope  is  that  you'll 
live  to  be  hanged!" 

Burr  smiled,  bowed  and  offered  his  arm  in  his  most 
grandiose  way.  "Until  then  Ma'am — at  your  service!" 

Lady  Merry  took  his  arm,  grudgingly  to  be  sure — 
but  still  she  took  it;  and  swept  from  the  room. 

Pinckney  at  a  sign  from  Sir  Anthony  followed  with 
Ena  on  his  arm.  Just  at  the  door  Sir  Anthony,  with 
a  return  of  gallantry,  turned  to  Dolly  and  bowing  ex- 
claimed : 

"Sans  Rancune!" 

"Not  the  least,"  smiled  Dolly  and  she  held  her  hand 
out.  "  'Twas  all  in  the  day's  work.  And  before  you 
leave,  Sir,  you  and  Lady  Merry  must  honor  us  at 
dinner." 

Madison  looked  disconcerted  but  Sir  Anthony  quick- 
ly relieved  his  fears. 

"Thanks,  Madam" — and  he  smiled  with  some  mean- 
ing— "but  there  won't  be  time  I  anticipate." 

And  again  he  bowed  most  courteously  and  took  his 
leave. 

"  'Twas  kind  of  you  to  ask  them  to  dinner,"  said 
Madison.  "But  my  dear  girl,  suppose  they'd  ac- 
cepted?" 

"I  anticipated  they  wouldn't,"  replied  Dolly  serenely. 

Turning  to  Jennings  at  the  door,  she  said:  "Send 
word  to  the  President  that  Sir  Anthony  and  Lady 
Merry  have  taken  leave.  And  say  that  Mrs.  Madison 
begs  that  he'll  bring  his  fiddle." 


294       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"But  my  dear  girl!"  exclaimed  Madison  looking  at 
his  watch.  "He'll  be  in  bed." 

"Then  he'll  get  up  again,"  retorted  Dolly  with  assur- 
ance. "Insomnia  will  attack  him  I  feel  sure  as  soon  as 
he  hears  Sir  Anthony's  gone."  Then  she  added  ques- 
tioningly,  "And  he's  gone  for  good,  hasn't  he  Jim?" 

"Yes — and "  wavered  Madison. 

But  Dolly  looked  up  suddenly  with  a  glance  of  cau- 
tion. 

"Wait,  dear,  you  didn't  give  me  time  to  finish," 
laughed  Madison.  "  'And  be  damned  to  him'  was  what 
I  was  going  to  say." 

"Adorable  man!"  laughed  Dolly  and  she  kissed  him 
on  the  lips. 

Burr,  standing  in  the  far  window,  turned  just  at  that 
moment.  Madison  looked  startled,  almost  embar- 
rassed. 

"Don't  mind,  Jim,"  exclaimed  Dolly  lightly.  "  'Tis 
only  the  Vice  President!" 

Burr,  not  to  be  outdone,  rose  gayly  to  the  rebuff. 

"Ah!"  he  exclaimed  with  comic  horror  and  a  tragic 
gesture.  "To  see  what  I've  missed!" 

"Yes,"  answered  Dolly,  nodding  at  him,  smilingly. 
"And  by  only  one  vote!" 

"  'Twas  yours,  Madam,"  said  Burr,  bowing  humbly. 
"The  situation  is  closed." 

Off  in  the  music-room  the  musicians  had  started 
playing. 

"That  reel!  You  remember  it?"  And  Burr,  now 
gay  again  looked  questioningly  at  Dolly. 

"Yes,"  she  replied,  smilingly.     "You  and  I  swung 


FATE  SETS  THE  PACE  295 

down  the  line  to  that  many  a  time — in  dear  old  Phil- 
adelphia!" 

"  'Tis  not  too  late  to  repeat  it,  I  hope,"  said  he, 
proffering  his  arm. 

"What  say  you,  Ma'am?" 

Dolly  took  a  step  forward,  as  though  to  accept  his 
offer;  but  Madison  stopped  her  in  something  like  alarm. 

"Your  ankle.  Do  you  think  it's  up  to  it,  dear?"  he 
said  in  a  tone  which  carried  persuasion. 

Dolly  looked  from  one  man  to  the  other.  Just  for 
a  second  she  seemed  wavering  towards  Burr.  Then, 
in  a  matter  of  fact  way,  she  exclaimed: 

"Well  to  tell  you  the  truth,  Jim,  it's  never  been  itself 
since  that  slip  on  the  ice." 

"A  gentleman  to  see  you,  Sir,  on  urgent  business," 
announced  Jennings. 

"Good  girl!"  said  Madison  under  his  breath  as  he 
hurried  away. 

"Sorry  I  can't  dance  with  you,  Ronnie,"  smiled  Dolly 
when  they  were  alone,  "but  I  wouldn't  hurt  my  ankle — 
or  Jim's  feelings — for  the  world." 

"Well,  since  the  dance  is  forbidden  us,  I  must  be 
going,"  remarked  Burr  rather  testily.  "We  were 
never  good  wall-flowers,  Dolly, — either  of  us.  But 
while  I'm  still  here — while  we  are  alone — just  this 
one  question.  The  other  day  you  told  me  that  you 
waited — waited — But  I  wrote  you  a  letter.  I  swear 
to  God  I  did!" 

"Yes.  So  I  heard,"  said  Dolly.  "But  I  never  re- 
ceived it." 

"Then  how  did  you  hear  of  it?"  said  Burr,  lapsing 
into  his  legal  manner. 


296       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

"That  is  very  simple,"  replied  Dolly  airily.  "Betty 
Jumel  wrote  to  me  about  it.  She  was  very  fair  to 
you,  Ronnie — fair  as  few  women  would  have  been  un- 
der the  same  circumstances.  Broken-hearted  as  she 
was  at  poor  Hamilton's  death  she  admitted  to  me  that 
you  had  good  cause — and  what's  more,  she  believes 
as  I  do,  that  you  did  not  mean  to  kill  him.  She  told  me 
that  you'd  written  to  her  and  that,  in  your  letter,  you 
had  mentioned  that  you'd  written  to  me.  But,  as  I 
said  before  Ronnie,  I  waited — waited." 

"Good  God!  Dolly!  This  is  news!"  cried  Burr 
aghast  with  astonishment.  "How  came  Betty  Jumel 
to  write  to  you?" 

"Why  not?"  said  Dolly.  "She  and  I  are  old  friends 
— and  loyal  ones  too!" 

"Since  when,  pray?"  demanded  Burr.  "  'Twas  cer- 
tainly not  in  my  day." 

"Ah!  Ronnie" — and  Dolly  sighed  profoundly — 
"'In  your  day!' — That  seems  so  long  ago!  Some- 
times in  life — a  day — an  hour,  even  twenty  minutes 
makes  a  lifetime  1  I  say  again,  Betty  Jumel  and  I  are 
old  and  tried  friends." 

"But  when,  and  where,  in  Heaven's  name  did  you 
meet  her?  You  certainly  did  not  know  her  the  night 
I  left  Philadelphia  to  meet  Hamilton." 

"That  was  the  cause  of  it  Ronnie — your  sudden 
flight,"  continued  Dolly  calmly.  "She  came  to  my 
house  within  the  hour,  after  you'd  gone.  We  became 
friends  almost  instantly.  I'm  a  good  judge  of  women, 
Ronnie.  I  liked  her  amazingly.  Why  did  you  never 
introduce  me  to  her  before?  Think  of  the  good  times 
we've  missed !  She  was  charming — such  distinction  and 


FATE  SETS  THE  PACE  297 

such  wit,  too !  We  chatted  for  hours.  Used  your  sec- 
ond floor  front  too,  Ronnie — and  by  none  of  your 
leave !  We  sat  by  your  fire — we  drank  your  Madiera. 
Finally,  I  loaned  her  your  dressing-gown  and  she  stole 
one  of  your  paper  cigars.  In  fact  we  marauded  you, 
Ronnie — You'd  have  laughed  to  have  seen  us.  While 
as  for  you  and  poor  Hamilton,  why  we  fairly  picked 
your  bones — and  didn't  spare  ourselves  in  the  bargain, 
either!  I  never  had  more  fun  in  my  life,  Ronnie, 
though  our  meeting  started  in  tears  and  tremors  for 
the  two  of  you.  But  our  woman's  common-sense  soon 
asserted  itself.  We  speedily  looked  at  you  both  as  you 
were  and — as  you  are !  She  even  slept  in  your  bed, 
Ronnie.  And  believe  me,  she  criticized  it  roundly! 
And  by  the  way,  in  that  letter  she  wrote  me,  she  put 
a  post-script  which,  when  ever  I  saw  you  again  I  was 
to  deliver.  She  wrote  that  she  was  going  abroad  for 
years  but  for  you  not  to  worry  'cause  she'd  be  back 
again  in  loads  of  time — and  she'd  bring  the  wedding- 
cake  along  to  fulfill  that  prophecy  of  the  old  hag." 

"The  old  hag's?"  exclaimed  Burr  in  a  puzzled  tone. 

"Of  course  I  don't  know  what  she  meant,  Ronnie," 
said  Dolly  innocently.  "She  merely  mentioned  to  me 
that  you  had  told  her — seems  to  be  as  I  recollect  it,  it 
must  have  been  the  day  after  the  night  you  brought 
me  that  poem  from  Mr.  Thomas  Moore — and  by  the 
way,  Ronnie,  since  his  return  home,  I  hear  that  your 
friend  Mr.  Moore  has  been  writing  some  very  nasty 
poems  about  his  friends  who  entertained  him  so  lav- 
ishly here.  And  he  an  Irishman  too !  But  that's  an- 
other matter!  As  I  was  saying,  Ronnie,  Betty  wrote 
me,  you  had  told  her  that  once,  during  your  wander- 


298       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

ings  in  the  country  you'd  had  your  fortune  told  by  an 
old  hag  and  that  the  old  hag  told  you " 

"Stop,  Dolly,  stop!"  said  Burr  angrily.  "Whatever 
I  told  her  I  swear  I  never  mentioned  your  name.  That 
dream  of  yours — somehow  it  got  hold  of  me.  I 
couldn't  shake  it  off — it  haunted  me.  I  had  to  speak 
to  some  one,  so  I  spoke  to  her.  But  your  name — Ah! 
no  Dolly, — never — never!" 

"I  know  that,  Ronnie,"  said  Dolly  with  conviction. 
"That's  why  I'm  talking  to  thee.  That's  why  you're 
still  a  guest  in  my  house.  No,  Ronnie,  whatever  else 
they  say  of  thee — all  the  females  who  knew  you  must 
admit — you  never  told  tales  on  a  woman!" 

Then,  with  far  more  tenderness  she  added,  "I'm 
sorry  I  told  you  that  dream,  Ronnie;  don't  let  it  worry 
thee.  Surely  we've  both  got  troubles  enough — God 
knows! — in  our  real  lives." 

Madison  entered  the  room  hurriedly.  His  face  was 
pale.  He  looked  nervous  and  perturbed.  A  moment 
later,  Jennings  came  to  the  door. 

"Captain  Gadsby,  Sir,"  he  announced  to  Madison. 
"He  enquires  for  Colonel  Burr." 

"Gadsby!"  said  Burr  in  astonishment. 

"He's  the  Marshal  of  the  District,"  said  Madison 
quietly. 

"Ah !  Of  course,"  said  Burr  as  he  straightened  him- 
self, then  added  gayly:  "I  see.  That  means  my  ar- 
rest. And  it  also  means,  Madam," — and  he  turned  to 
Dolly  and  bowed  gallantly, — "that  I  lose  my  reel  with 
you." 

"Is  he  alone?"  he  inquired,  turning  to  Jennings. 


FATE  SETS  THE  PACE  299 

"There's  some  army  with  him,  sir — at  least  six  or 
eight." 

Dolly  shuddered  and  turned  away.  Burr  laughed 
more  gayly  than  ever. 

"Ah!  I  see.  The  President  honors  me.  'Tis  to 
be  done  with  pomp  and  circumstance — according  to  my 
rank!" 

He  crossed  to  the  window  and  looked  out  as  though 
to  catch  a  glimpse  of  his  prospective  guards. 

"Show  the  Captain  into  my  study,"  said  Madison. 

But  Dolly  was  before  him  swiftly. 

"Stop!     If  you  please,  Jim!"     Then  to  Jennings: 

"Call  Colonel  Burr's  carriage.  Beg  Captain  Gadsby 
to  drive  in  it  to  Colonel  Burr's  house.  Colonel  Burr 
will  receive  him  there."  She  turned  to  Madison  again 
now  furiously.  "  'Twill  not  be  under  your  roof — this 
arrest — Jim.  You  must  be  mad,  mad," — and  she 
motioned  towards  the  ball-room — "seems  to  me  the 
President  might  have  thought  of  that." 

"Break  up  Mrs.  Madison's  party!"  said  Burr  sin- 
cerely. "Ah!  no,  believe  me.  I'm  sorry  that  I  even 
came  to  this  happy  home  to-night." 

"Good  God,  man!"  cried  Madison  and  he  put  his 
arm  on  the  shoulder  of  his  old-time  friend.  "You  had 
only  to  run  straight." 

"No — no — Jemmy!"  exclaimed  Burr,  interrupting 
him.  "No  moralizing  if  you  please.  In  return  I 
promise  to  make  no  excuses.  You  know  I've  always 
hated  them.  In  all  of  this  my  one  regret  is " 

But  it  was  Dolly  interrupted  now.  Her  eyes  were 
full  of  tears. 

I'm  glad  you  had  one"  she  said  tenderly.    "We  both 


300       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

know  you  would  have  borne  your  honors  bravely.  Now 
we  both  want  you  to  do  as  well  with  the  losses,  Ron- 
nie." 

Jennings  appeared  again. 

"The  Marshall  will  do  as  you  bid,  Madam,"  he  re- 
ported. "But  the  soldiers  must  remain  here." 

"Give  'em  some  refreshment  then,"  cried  Dolly  an- 
grily. 

"Ale,  or  wine,  Ma'am?" 

"Lemonade.  Nothing  stronger,"  she  snapped.  "Or 
the  newspapers  will  be  saying,  Jim,  you  plyed  'em  with 
drink  to  help  Colonel  Burr  escape." 

"Yes,"  said  Madison,  again  nervous.  "Perhaps  it 
would  be  better  if  I  reassured  the  Marshal." 

"And  the  Army!"  called  Burr  after  him.  "For 
God's  sake  don't  forget  the  Army — -six  or  eight!" 

As  Madison  left,  Burr  turned  to  Dolly. 

"I'll  wager  Jefferson's  peering  out  of  the  White 
House  now  to  see  me  fly  down  Pennsylvania  Avenue 
pursued  by  his  Army.  That  man  has  no  sense  of 
humor!"  he  laughed. 

"Where  was  yours  in  all  this?"  cried  Dolly  sternly. 

Burr  turned  to  her  as  though  demanding  an  explana- 
tion. 

"Your  sense  of  humor.  That's  what  I  said,"  she 
exclaimed  impatiently.  "That  sense  of  humor  that 
found  something  of  fun  in  every  fierce  tirade  against 
you — that  laughed  down  mountains  of  abuse  raised  by 
your  enemies!  That  glorious  sense  of  humor,  man, 
that  so  often  saved  you  from  the  tragedy  of  your  fol- 
lies— Where  was  it  when  you  set  about  this  ridiculous 
enterprise?" 


FATE  SETS  THE  PACE  301 

"Ah!  Madam,  I  pray  you!  At  least,  not  ridicu- 
lous." 

"Yes.  Ridiculous,"  insisted  Dolly  with  flashing  eyes. 
"Most  absurd  and  fantastic,  since  Don  Quixote  and 
the  wind-mills.  You" — she  continued  mockingly — "the 
careless,  cynical  Burr,  who  played  with  high  politics  as 
a  child  plays  with  toys — who  let  the  Presidency  go  with 
a  jest  when  a  sober  word  would  have  won  it  for  you — 
who  never  took  anything  serious — but  his  love  affairs. 
The  beau,  the  gallant,  the  heart-breaking  Burr."  She 
struck  a  tone  and  gesture  of  mock-heroics  and  fairly 
jeered  at  him.  "Suddenly  bent  on  the  conquest  of 
Mexico  and  the  throne  of  the  Montezumas.  Aaron  I ! 
Indeed !  Paugh !  And  you  don't  see  the  humor  of  it. 
Ha!  Ha!" 

"Well.  Of  course,  now  that  you  put  it  that  way," 
laughed  Burr,  in  his  old  gay  manner.  "Yet" — and  his 
tone  changed  suddenly  and  took  on  an  earnest  note — 
"yet — you  and  I,  Dolly — we'd  have  made  it  Paradise. 
It's  a  land  of  sun  and  color;  carefree,  romantic."  He 
took  a  step  towards  her,  eagerly,  but  as  he  did  so,  she 
drew,  almost  imperceptibly,  away.  "And  there  I 
planned — or  dreamed — a  life,  splendid  and  dazzling, 
to  blind  you  to  everything  in  the  world,  except  me — 
to  make  you  forget  all  the  world  but  me." 

"Yes,"  interrupted  Dolly,  "Including  the  world's 
esteem  and  good  report." 

"There  you  come  again  to  small  morals!  I  gave  no 
single  thought  to  them  nor  to  anything  but — you." 

uAh!  Ronnie,"  she  cried  brokenly.  "Don't  let  me 
believe  that  /  brought  you  to  this.  Think  what  a  mem- 


302       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

ory !  That  from  so  great  a  love  such  wretchedness  and 
shame  should  come  to  you." 

Burr  winced.  The  man  was  touched.  There  was  no 
mistaking  it.  For  the  one  time  in  her  life,  Dolly  saw 
tears  in  those  wonderful  black  eyes.  His  voice  trem- 
bled when  he  spoke  again. 

1  "Your  solicitude  for  me,  dear  lady — your  anxiety, 
so  frank  and  sincere,  touches  me  profoundly.  More 
than  I  can  tell  you — more  than  you'd  believe.  I'm 
called  a  vain  man — and  perhaps  justly!  And  yet, 
curious  enough,  there  have  been  so  few  persons  in  this 
world  for  whose  good  opinion  and  affections  I  ever 
gave  a  second  thought.  Even  now — in  this  moment 
of  crisis  and  disaster,  I  can  think  of  but — you !  Come 
what  may,  I  know  you  will  think  of  me  always  with 
that  perfect  understanding  that  lifts  gentle  woman- 
hood to  the  plane  of  angels.  And  if — Fate's  forbid! 
It  should  come  to  the  worst " 

"It  must  not!  It  shan't — and  won't,"  cried  Dolly 
positively.  "I've  Jim's  promise." 

Burr  laughed  once  more  and  his  manner  took  on 
something  of  his  old  cynical  gayety. 

"Well,  if  it  does,  my  friends  shall  have  due  notice 
of  time  and  place.  And  I  promise  that,  as  the  show- 
man says  'a  great  concourse  of  company,  much  gayety 
and  a  rare  sight.'  A  Vice  President  shot  for  getting 
bored  with  his  office!  Oh!  but  dear  lady" — he  was 
serious  now  for  he  saw  her  tears — "I  beg  your  par- 
don," he  went  on  tenderly.  "But  how  could  I  know 
you'd  take  me  serious.  You  never  have.  Forgive  me 
I  implore  you.  And  yet  in  candor  those  tears  that 
glisten  in  your  eyes  I'd  rather  have  won  than  the 


FATE  SETS  THE  PACE  303 

jewelled  crown  of  Mexico.  Au-voir,  dear  lady!" 
Then  in  a  lower  tone  he  whispered.  'Till  we  meet 
again;  may  God  Almighty  bless  you!" 

He  moved  as  if  to  take  her  in  his  arms,  but  Dolly 
evaded  him. 

"Good-bye,"  she  said  abruptly  and  held  her  hand 
out  with  a  gesture  of  dismissal. 

Burr  took  a  step  backwards. 

"You  don't  mean  that?"  he  challenged. 

"Yes,  I  do,"  and  she  looked  him  coldly,  steadily  in 
the  eye.  "It's  good-bye!" 

Burr  bowed  profoundly  and  he  kissed  her  hand. 

"I'll  wait  word  from  you,  dear  lady — after  that 
trial  in  Richmond." 

"No — no!"  she  cried.  "Believe  me,  it's  the  end. 
It's  best  for  both  of  us.  Good-bye!  God  bless  you!" 

Then  as  the  door  slammed  to  behind  him,  she  put 
her  hands  to  her  face  and  sobbed. 

"You  poor — great — splendid — wretched — man !" 

Her  desk  stood  in  the  corner.  She  ran  to  it  and 
hurriedly  unlocked  one  of  it's  smaller  drawers.  From 
it  she  took  an  old-fashioned  japanned  box  and  opening 
it  walked  to  the  fire-place  and  kneeling  down  scattered 
it's  contents  on  the  fire.  They  were  only  old  letters,  a 
few  pressed  flowers,  some  trinkets,  a  tarnished  shoul- 
der-strap,— which  he  had  given  her  as  a  relic  of  his 
young  days  at  Quebec, — two  or  three  poems  of  his,  and 
a  tiny  volume  of  the  Lyrics  of  Tom  Moore. 

But  as  the  flames  flared  up,  devouring  them,  she 
sobbed  her  heart  out,  as  all  women  will,  for  old  love's 
sake,  until  Millenium  Day. 


3o4       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

The  fire  was  still  crackling  merrily  when  Madison 
came  in  and,  seeing  her  condition,  took  her  in  his  arms. 

"Jim,"  she  said,  snuggling  closer  to  him. 

"Why.  What's  wrong  here?"  he  questioned  as 
though  he  hadn't  the  remotest  idea  what  it  was  all 
about. 

"Nothing,  old  man,  it's  over!  It's  nothing — now." 
She  looked  at  the  fire,  which  had  smouldered  down 
and  Madison  in  his  turn  looked  at  her. 

"Tears !"  he  exclaimed  as  he  kissed  her  cheek.  "He 
doesn't  deserve  one  of  them!" 

"I  know  it.     So  I  weep  for  him." 

"That's  the  Quaker  of  you,"  joked  Madison  ten- 
derly. 

"No,"  and  Dolly  shook  her  head — "it's  just  the  wo- 
man. Rogues  have  always  got  our  pity  since  the  world 
began." 

"Poor  devil!  He'll  need  it,"  cried  Madison,  then 
stopped  to  listen.  "You  hear?  The  mob's  jeering 
him,  and — Oh!  My  God! — They're  playing  the 
Rogue's  March." 

Dolly  sank  to  the  sofa  with  a  little  cry,  and  Madison, 
crossing  the  room,  shut  down  the  window  hurriedly. 

When  the  noise  was  silenced,  Dolly,  pale  as  a  sheet, 
jumed  to  her  feet.  "Jim!"  she  cried,  hysterically. 
"This  is  awful.  It's  all  coming  true." 

"True?    What,  darling?"  asked  Madison. 

"My  dream !"  cried  Dolly,  excitedly.  "That  was  the 
way  it  started.  I'd  almost  forgotten  but  I  remember  it 
distinctly  now.  I  never  told  him  when  I  described  my 
dream  to  him,  nor  even  when  I  spoke  of  it  to  you, 


FATE  SETS  THE  PACE  305 

just  as  I  evaded  telling  of  poor  Theodosia's  end,  and 
the  fate  of  the  little  boy.  But  that  was  the  beginning 
of  my  dream,  Jim.  It  started  with  the  sound  of  the 
Rogue's  March,  and  poor  Burr  tramping  down  this 
very  street!  Then,  if  you  remember,  I  told  you  I  was 
in  Washington,  before  the  General's  picture,  with  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  hidden  in  my  bodice" — 
she  spoke  as  in  a  daze  now,  almost  as  a  person  talking 
in  her  sleep — "and  I  called  to  him  to  come  to  me  but  he 
was  thousands  and  thousands  of  miles  away,  Jim. 
Feted  one  day — hounded  the  next " 

"Hush!  Hush!  Dolly,"  said  Madison.  "Don't 
let's  talk  about  it.  It's  only  a  dream." 

"Only  a  dream,  Jim,  Yes,"  she  answered  ominously. 
"But  a  dream  that's  coming  true  in  every  word." 

She  roused  herself  and  looked  at  him  quite  calmly. 

All  of  a  sudden  Madison  jumped  to  his  feet.  If  a 
bee  had  suddenly  attacked  him  he  could  have  shown 
no  less  alacrity  nor  more  dismay. 

"My  God,  Dolly!"  he  exclaimed.  "If  it  does  come 
true  there'll  be  war  with  England.  They'll  burn  the 
White  House " 

Dolly  was  quite  herself  now  as  she  turned  to  him 
and  placing  her  arms  about  his  neck  cried: 

"What  do  we  care,  Jim?  They  can  build  us  another 
one.  There  are  lots  of  things  about  this  one  I  don't 
like." 

"But  the  consequences,  my  dear.  Think  of  the  con- 
sequences!" 

"Damn  the  consequences!"  said  Dolly  as  she  kissed 
him.  "Don't  think  at  all,  Jim.  It's  monstrous  bad  for 


306       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

you.  Just  remember  this,  dear.  There  was  one  thing 
that  I  never  mentioned  to  thee — just  as  I  skipped  some 
incidents  when  I  told  my  dream  to  poor  Ronnie  Burr." 

"What  was  it,  dear,"  asked  Madison  eagerly. 

"It  was  this,"  replied  Dolly.  "Remember  when  I 
told  thee  Burr  was  too  far  away  to  answer.  There  was 
someone  whom  I  searched  for — whose  face  I  couldn't 
see — whose  name  I  didn't  know — who  was  fighting  for 
me  and  all  the  nation  somewhere  at  the  front.  'Twas 
then  I  lied  to  you,  Jim,  for  the  first,  but," — she  added 
cautiously — "probably  not  for  the  only  time.  I  knew 
who  the  man  was  always.  He  was  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  Jim.  The  Master  of  the  White  House. 
The  fellow,  who  later  in  my  dream,  I  saw  going  down 
the  long  hill,  with  the  apple-cheeked  and  fat  old  lady 
— who  was  none  other  than  myself.  In  other  words, 
Jim,  he  was  my  man  and  deep  down  in  my  heart — both 
in  and  out  of  my  dreams — I  always  knew  it!" 

"You  mean — that  it  was  me?"  said  Madison. 

"You're  a  diviner,  Jim!"  she  cried.  "How'd  you 
ever  guess  it?" 

Out  in  the  ball-room  a  lone  fiddle  began  to  play  a 
medley.  First  there  was  a  strain  of  "Believe  me — ", 
then  a  snatch  of  "Robin  Adair." 

"Laws!"  cried  Dolly,  starting  up.  "There's  Mr. 
Jefferson.  I  know  it's  he  by  the  way  he  flats  on  that 
second  bar." 

The  music  changed  again.  "He's  perfectly  happy 
now,"  she  smiled.  "He's  playing  a  hymn.  Yet  they 
call  him  atheist!" 

Unconsciously  her  lips  half-spoke  the  words  of  the 
melody : 


FATE  SETS  THE  PACE  307 

"A  few  more  years  shall  roll, 

A  few  more  seasons  come 
And  we  shall  be  with  those  that  rest, 

Asleep  within  the  tomb. 
Then  oh !  my  Lord  prepare 

My. soul  for  that  great  day 
Oh ! " 

Dolly  stopped  singing  abruptly.  She  turned  to 
Madison. 

"That  was  dear  mother's  favorite  hymn,"  she  said, 
"though  father  wouldn't  let  her  sing  it  on  First  Day 
'cause  it  was  Episcopal.  Dear  mother !  I  never  wanted 
her  more  than  I  do  to-night." 

There  were  tears  in  her  eyes  again. 

"There  was  always  one  cure  for  everything  with  her. 
No  matter  whether  it  was  a  cut  finger  or  a  sorry  heart. 
'No  matter,  dear,'  she'd  say,^'nothing  really  matters 
in  this  world  P  I  wish  I  could  believe  that — while  I'm 
still  alive!" 

Dolly  snatched  up  her  rouge  box  and  just  to  prove 
her  complete  conquest  of  her  husband,  forced  him  to 
put  a  dab  on  each  of  her  cheeks.  Meanwhile  she  dried 
her  eyes  and  powdered  her  nose. 

"Just  a  word  more  about  Burr,  Jim,"  she  exclaimed. 
"President  can  wait  for  us  just  a  moment.  We've  got 
to  wait  for  him  for  four  years." 

"Poor  devil!"  said  Madison.  "Let's  forget  Burr, 
Dolly.  He  hasn't  a  friend  in  the  world — not  one." 

"Oh,  yes  he  has!"  cried  Mrs.  Madison  all  on  fire 
again.  "I'm  his  friend." 

"Why — why — Dolly!"  exclaimed  Madison,  now 
wishing  that  he  hadn't  brought  the  subject  up  again. 

"I    wish    him    well,"    she    continued.      "Whatever 


308       THE  FIRST  LADY  IN  THE  LAND 

wrong  he's  done.  I  don't  care  a  rap.  And  so  I'm  his 
friend.  And  so  you  must  be,  Jim,  just  as  /  must  be 
because,  after  all  is  said  and  done,  Jemmy,  he's  the  best 
friend  we  ever  had.  Why,  man,  he  brought  you  to 
me,  and  Laws!  shouldn't  I  be  grateful  for  that?" 

"He  was  merely  an  agent  of  Providence  or — Fate — 
my  dear,"  said  Madison  with  half  a  smile. 

"Whose  ever  agent  he  was,  he  did  his  work  devilish 
well,"  exclaimed  Dolly.  "And  when  every  man's  hand 
is  turned  against  him,  mine  will  reach  out  to  him  in 
thanks.  Why  but  for  him  man,  I  might  have  been  a 
spindley,  shriveled,  Philadelphia  widow,  taking  lodgers 
for  a  living  on  South  Fourth  Street  instead  of  the  nice 
apple-cheeked,  fat  old  lady  whose  going  down  the  hill 
along  with  you,  later  on.  Don't  wince,  Jimmy.  It's 
the  truth  I'm  telling  you.  And  you,  if  it  hadn't  been 
for  him,  would  be  a  crusty,  rheumatic  old  bachelor, 
mooning  over  that  Long  Island  hussy  who  jilted  you 
for  a  parson  and  his  forte-pianner !" 

"And  'gainst  such  great  works,"  exclaimed  Madison 
quizzingly.  "He  only  tried  to  tear  down  an  empire!" 

"But  he  raised  up  one  for  us,  Jim.  Don't  forget 
that.  Out  of  his  very  evil,  good  has  come  to  you  and 
me.  Over  the  ruins  of  his  career  you  step  to  higher 
things." 

"But,  my  dear,"  exclaimed  Madison  reprovingly. 
"Such  thoughts!" 

"Yes — yes — I  know,"  interrupted  Dolly.  "They're 
wicked,  and  silly  and  worldly  and — and — very,  very 
human.  But  after  all  I'm  only  a  woman,  Jimmy, — and 
you're  my  husband — and — an " 


FATE  SETS  THE  PACE  309 

"And — after  you — the  Deluge!"  laughed  Madison 
as  he  kissed  her.  "As  the  French  King  said." 

"He  didn't  say  it  first,  Jim,"  retorted  Dolly.  "  'Twas 
Noah's  wife — once  she  had  him  safe  inside  the  Ark." 


FINIS. 


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